Chapter Text
Captain James T. Kirk loathed Rura Penthe almost as much as he hated Admiral Alexander Marcus. His successful efforts to expose and help destroy Section 31 had landed him on this fucking rock, when the Enterprise ended up stranded in Klingon space after being set-up by Marcus’ cronies. Jim managed to get his ship and crew to safety, but traded himself in the effort. He had snagged a viridium chip, which he inserted into his right shoulder, so Spock could track him. The Vulcan had promised to come for Jim as soon as they could, predicting a little over a month’s time.
The first week plus had been worse than Hell, as Jim was the target of every alien with a grudge against Starfleet, a hatred of humans, or a desire for a boyishly good-looking bitch. With a mixture of balls, brains and the ferocity that had gotten Jim his place as Captain of the Enterprise, he managed to hold them off for nine days. But the ninth day was a closer call than Jim wanted to admit, and he knew better than to think he could hold out for much longer. So, he approached the one person everyone, guards and prisoners alike, respected and feared- the augmented former Emperor, Khan Noonien Singh- with a proposition. Protection for escape.
For the augment, Khan, exile on the frozen planet was tolerable. Even on the surface, where others died within minutes of exposure to the elements. It was easy enough for him to leave the subterranean cave system that had been hollowed out even further into cells, but there was nowhere to go, and that was the problem. All the surface had to offer was more ice, snow, wind and cold. Though a few rare glimpses of sunlight were pleasing to the eyes every few months, after being below ground for so long. But still the problem remained, Khan was stuck here. There was no escape, unless the remnants of Section 31 retrieved him. Which the augment determined to be highly unlikely. Khan had fulfilled his usefulness years ago. So this was where he had been left, put on ice, as it were, to wait. And wait.
But Khan was a patient man. He played for the long term. So, when Kirk came across his path, the augment could see the potential in their alliance. Kirk had friends that would get him off the prison planet. And as long as Khan kept the man alive until then, he would get the opportunity to leave the icy hell as well.
Although their agreement was simple, the details were devilish, as they had to be in a place like Rura Penthe. To make Khan’s protection believable, to give Jim the true shield he required in the den of murderers and rapists, he had to play at being Khan’s little bitch, a decidedly uncomfortable role. Especially since it required actual sex, more than once in a public location. The other prisoners wouldn’t buy the arrangement without signs of Khan’s ‘use’ of his fucktoy. Visual and otherwise.
Jim loved sex as much as the next guy. Probably more. But not this way. Not as a one-sided event where only one party got any fun (although Jim doubted Khan enjoyed this part of the arrangement, either). Not that the augment had hurt him anymore than was necessary to keep up appearances, but Jim’s ass was sore and his neck hurt from the goddamn bites. Khan had legitimate fury against Section 31 and Admiral Marcus, but Jim wasn’t to blame for the way he’d been treated. In fact, Jim was on his side more than on Section 31’s, godfuckingdammit. And frankly, the augment also terrified Jim. He was impossibly strong and intelligent and cold-calculating in a way that froze Jim’s blood more than the planet’s freezing temperatures.
Still, it was hard to tell what Khan really thought of anything. Besides moments of rage, there was only a stoic calm that reminded Jim of the eye of a hurricane before it tore up everything in its path. Khan had done that multiple times in his defense of Jim, before the others learned truly to let him alone if their valued their limbs and life. Which was why Jim knew the brutish Nausicaan currently gripping him by the throat must be a newcomer.
“You don’t want to fuck with me,” he wheezed around the hand that throttled his windpipe, not even bothering to struggle.
“Humans are puny,” the alien snarled. “And pretty. You will please me.” He shook Jim like a ragdoll.
The prison culture was completely vile to Khan. It was a collection of the very worst, every race had to offer. Himself included. Except for Jim Kirk, who although was brave and daring, lacked the cruelty and viciousness of the other inmates. He didn't belong here, that was clear enough. But he would do what was necessary to survive. Which meant consenting to portray a certain image. On Rura Penthe, Jim Kirk belonged to Khan. It was a barbaric social structure, and Khan loathed it.
Even so, the augment took his duties to protect Kirk very seriously. And to the very extreme. Which on occasion had required very public acts, so that everyone could see for themselves, the power Khan held, making it very clear, that Kirk was off-limits. Kirk was his.
So when the assault on Khan's property took place, the augment was there within seconds. The Nausicaan was substantially taller than Khan, but that mattered little. "Remove your hands from my property ." Khan growled, a low rumble which echoed within the walls of the ice cave. " Or I shall remove your hands ."
Jim slumped a little more in relief as the chilling snarl of Khan echoed off the rocks around them. A crowd had gathered almost immediately, sensing blood in the air and wanting their share of the fun. He hoped the damn creep would react to Khan’s challenge soon, though, cause dark spots were beginning to form in his vision at the continued lack of oxygen.
The Nausicaan looked unconcerned at this new human that had dared to confront him, smiling rather unpleasantly in a way that revealed his fangs. “This meat is no longer yours, human scum,” he rumbled, shaking Jim some more. “He’ll help warm my bed for a few weeks before I tear through him. Maybe then I’ll come for you.” He licked his lips in a grotesque fashion, leering at Khan’s dark figure. “Now, outta my way!” He turned and lurched forward, half-dragging the gasping human behind.
Repulsive, vulgar creatures, all of them. The Nausicaan, who wanted to fuck Kirk to death, ripping through his body. The onlookers, who secretly wanted to do the same. And the remainder of the crowd, who wanted to see if the Nausicaan would get away with it or not. The answer was, he would not. As Khan was no human, even if he was mistaken for one. So as he launched himself onto the Nausicaan pirate, it was not a matter of bumping into him, but like the full force of a bullet train, severing any flesh and bone in its path, without slowing down.
Khan landed squarely against the creature's back, then reached around and grabbed the tusks from the corner of his mouth and began to pull backwards, forcing the Nausicaan to tilt his head back, exposing his ashen throat for a kill, if only Khan had a free hand to do so.
Jim groaned and began coughing and choking for air as his body hit the floor with a thump, the Nausicaan releasing him the instant he was hit. Vaguely conscious, Jim dragged himself away from the fight and the spectators, not wanting to give any one of them a chance to get hold of him in the interim. His throat ached from the force of the alien’s grip, but the sweet oxygen filling his lungs began to clear his head again. He lifted his eyes to the spectacle that had the inmates and guards cheering with vicious pleasure all around them.
The Nausicaan grabbed for the creature on his back, intent on getting two handfuls of him and throwing him into the wall. The pain in his tusks was blinding, making his howl over even the yells of their audience. How was this a human? Such strength and speed did not exist in their race.
Using the heel of his boots to dig into the bone of the Nausicaan's hips, Khan kept himself on the alien's back, riding him in a way, as if he were nothing but an animal that needed to be forcibly broken. And he would be broken. Everyone there to see it would remember it.
Throwing his weight backwards, Khan pulled the alien back, overbalancing until they both hit the ground, Khan first. But it did not bother him, as this was the position he was looking for. With his legs and thighs tight around the Nausicaan's large chest, Khan squeezed and compressed the heavy bone structure, until the very distinct sound of bone began to crunch and crack.
Jim winced as the big alien began to scream and turned his face away from the sight. If he had the voice, he would have begged Khan to stop, despite the need to demonstrate the augment’s dominance to the other inmates. The crunch of bone made his stomach roil, and he gagged on the remains of the day’s semi-edible food and the fear (his own and that of the Nausicaan). Khan really was death on a pale horse.
As the Nausicaan was finding out. He tore at the beast on his back, trying to rip off flesh and break bone and force the loosening of the death grip on his chest. He had ended the life of many before his sentence to Rura Penthe, and the end of those lives meant as nothing to him. But as ribs caved in to the unending pressure, he dimly realized that he now understood what they felt at their ends. Cold terror and merciless pain. It made him shriek the louder and tear with even greater desperation at his attacker.
Enduring the blind attempts to get him to stop, Khan ignored the ribbons of blood and deep gashes that the Nausicaan was managing in these moments of adrenaline fuelled fear. In contrast, the augment was quite calm with what he was doing. It came to him, perhaps too easily. Just as an lion with the throat of its prey in his mouth, as all Khan needed to do was wait for his victim to give in, and relinquish his last breath.
But before then, Khan had a promise to keep. With the crushing hold around the alien's chest, Khan was free to reach for his knife. And as the Nausicaan reached for him again, Khan speared his knife into the back of the alien's hand and pinned it to the ground, bleeding out and staining the ice.
The crowd howled its approval even louder. Most of them would be no match for a Nausicaan, and a murderer like this one would have wreaked fear, blood and havoc among them all. The augment kept his distance, so long as his property was left undisturbed. So, they favored him in this fight, as a lesser evil to their already soiled lives. Beside, this bloodsport appealed to them all. Lesser physical confrontations were already breaking out amongst them, as if a contagion caught from the larger fight in front.
As the knife pinned his hand, the Nausicaan remembered the words of pain that had been promised to him, and his free hand snagged at the black fur on top of the human’s head, using all remaining strength to try and twist the neck or break the spine of his unrivaled attacker.
“Please, just kill him,” Jim finally managed to rasp out from where he struggled to get to his knees nearby. “Please, Khan, just end it.” His voice barely broke a whisper in his raw throat, but if anybody might hear over the pandemonium, he knew it would be the augment.
Khan turned his sharp eyes on Jim, the instant he could hear his voice, picking it out of the chaos as if the man were simply whispering in his ear late one night. Which he never did. There was not that kind of intimacy between them. But upon hearing these words, Khan was reminded once more that Kirk did not actually belong here, and such sights and sounds were distressing to him.
With another low growl, Khan reached for his knife and plucked it out of the Nausicaan's hand and dragged it across his throat instead, making the cut deep, so that he would drown in his own blood quickly.
The crowd made a noise of displeasure at being robbed so quickly of their sport, but subsided instantly, not wanting to anger the augment.
Jim struggled to his feet as the Nausicaan gargled out his life and lurched a few feet away from the soon-to-be-corpse. His breath felt like sandpaper in his throat, but it was plentiful at least. “Fuck,” he gasped. “Fuckfuckfuck.” He leaned into the wall and finally looked toward Khan, assessing his mood and his wounds.
As Khan relaxed the muscles in his legs, the augment moved out from the dead body and stood. This was still a delicate time. Khan won the fight, but he still needed control over the crowd. Using the knife and the strength of his own hands. Khan severed and tore off each of the Nausicaan's hands and dropped them on his chest. The message was clear. His words were not to be taken lightly. Khan keeps his word.
Then cleaning his knife on the front jacket the dead alien wore, Khan concealed it on his person once more. "Do not touch my property. Do not look at my property," Khan said, giving orders to the room, looking each one of the other prisoners in the eye. "If my property passes you in these halls, you avert your eyes! You do not have my permission to even LOOK at him. UNDERSTOOD?"
A ripple passed through the crowd, message received and definitely heard. They dispersed quickly after that, none of them daring to glance back in the direction of the augment or his human companion. Even those wanting the Nausicaan’s belongings shrunk away, knowing their time would come later. If Khan and his playtoy didn’t take everything for themselves.
Jim grimaced at the bloody mess of Nausicaan, but forced himself forward to Khan’s side, head down. He swallowed around the bile of acting the part of submissive slave, but this event proved why he needed Khan’s protection. The unending parade of bastards wanting his ass would have quickly worn him down, so that he would have been prey to them in the end. He did lift a hand to one of Khan’s wounds, frowning a little. He knew from experience how quickly they healed, but the sight of them caused a bit of worry for the other man. “Thank you,” he said softly.
With no desire or use for the dead body, Khan left it where it was in the ice. He gave a nod to Jim to turn around. "We will return to my room," he said, his tone still carrying an echo of his anger, but it was also clear that the augment was attempting to push it away, now that it was no longer needed. Then with a hand to the back of Jim's neck, the two walked forward. Khan's property in hand, as they returned to his room. Though a room on Rura Penthe was generally not much more than a hollowed out section of ice and rock.
There were a few larger areas, that housed makeshift bunk beds and a large collection of the inmates. But Khan had no taste for sharing his sleeping space, nor the goods he acquired. Which included empty sacs that once held rice or Romulan grain as bedding, spread thick over planks of wood that had once been shipping crates. "Sit down."
Jim was aware of eyes secretly upon them the entire trek through the prison to their shared quarters, which were Khan’s. They were the best in the whole squalid place, selected and guarded with ferocity by Khan, and the ones he had inhabited before Jim arrived. But reaching them required a long walk, a parade in front of prisoner and guard alike. And it was the Klingons, much more so than the other inmates, from whom Jim detected glee at his predicament. He had no doubt that there was ample holovids being circulated by the Klingon Empire of the hated Captain Kirk as bitch to the perverted Khan. That was what really made his guts twist into knots.
Still, it had to be borne, so he stood up under it as best he could, even now, as Khan issued him orders. He sat heavily on the ground and just concentrated on breathing. Every moment on Rura Penthe required watchfulness, even now. Khan would keep his word not to hurt Jim, of that he felt sure, but what else the augment might deem necessary, that was harder to gauge. So, he waited in uncertain silence, not wanting to anger the augment more than the necessary fight already had.
Lighting a lamp that burned off cooking oils, Khan illuminated the room before he closed them in by placing a few large obstacles by the entry, followed by drawing a veil of fabric across the entrance so that they had some pretence of privacy.
On the floor was a new crate. When the fresh shipment of inmates had arrived, so had rations and supplies. Khan had been there to get first pick. "Can you speak? Say my name." Khan said, pressing his fingers carefully to the bruised muscle of Jim's neck.
“Khan Noonien Singh,” Jim rasped out and then coughed a little at the end. “I’m okay. You look worse than me,” he huffed out, coughing a few times in between. He turned a little to look over the augment again, noting the injuries that were sluggishly bleeding now. “Let me help you?” he asked and offered in one. He kept his head still as Khan poked at his neck, though there was danger in those strong fingers, as he had just graphically seen. “Sorry for the trouble.”
"I am certain the trouble was not of your choosing," Khan said, then dropped his hands away for a moment. From under the bed, Khan pulled out a pot of melted snow and ice. It was cold, but the water was clean, and was used to wash, with the rag already in the basin. It was not drinking water, that water Khan stored more carefully.
Pulling out the rag, then squeezing it out, Khan handed the damp cloth to Kirk. "Press this against your neck for a time, it will help with the swelling." Khan said, then pulled off his own shirt to examine the injuries that were visible to him. He picked and ran his fingers over the cuts without any indication that he felt the stinging pain. Or the cold.
Jim shivered violently as he pressed the freezing water to his neck. It might help with the swelling, but it sure as Hell wouldn’t help with the temperatures. The Klingons didn’t waste much heating their prison, the place was just above freezing their ‘guests’ to death. And the cold on his neck was nearly unbearable in the frigid air. But he kept it in place and watched as Khan refused his offer to take care of himself.
“Fuck this place,” he rasped out with a hoarse chuckle, followed by a deeper cough. No, he hadn’t chosen trouble. He was trying to get back to their shared quarters as quickly and quietly as possible after his shift in the mines. Instead, he’d been grabbed by the Nausicaan and all thoughts of a mostly bearable day were lost. He reached back and grabbed one of their large blankets, tossing the furs so they landed over Khan and himself.
"Yes. Indeed," Khan said simply. He had begun to scrub at his injuries with a handful of snow, irritating the skin briefly, cleaning away the blood and filth of the Nausicaan likely had under his nails. It was cold, but it cleaned the wounds. Then as Jim covered them both in the thick fur blankets, things were decisively less cold. His own body heat began to compensate, creating a pocket of warmth for them both to share under the blanket.
After a scene like the one today, Jim knew Khan would need to reclaim his ‘property’ in a more intimate way than the battle. The inmates and guards would be listening for the tell-tale sounds of property being re-established, territory being restaked. He made a soft sighing noise and asked in his garbled voice, “Give it a half-hour? Gaer’ath will be in place by than.” He mentioned one of the more hated Klingon guards, who enjoyed smacking Jim’s ass when he got too close and making very lewd threats. He also enjoyed listening in on them and mentioned it the next day without fail.
Khan nuzzled his nose in close to Jim's bruised neck. Close, but not touching. He breathed in the scent of the injured skin slowly. "I am unaccustomed to waiting for others. I have no desire to cater to his perversions," Khan said, then dragged his tongue over Jim's neck, wet and warm, meant to be soothing to the abused skin.
Jim shivered at the touch, which was completely different from anything he was used to before. And the words ... they made no sense at all. The whole point was to cater to the perversions of the situation and the entire damn population of Rura Penthe. But Jim didn’t dare say that, not in this moment. He sensed a sea change in the air and didn’t want to upset the dangerous augment by mishandling it.
“No?” he asked softly. “What is it you do desire, Khan?” He tugged the blanket closer to warm himself up, the water now trickling down his back in freezing rivulets.
The question startled Khan. For a few brief seconds, the augment had believed his own deception, that Kirk was his. “You are correct,” he said with a soft sigh. “it is not about what I want. We will wait.”
Jim shifted a little toward the augment, drawn by the warmth he projected, and tilted his neck in an obvious offer of more of the abraded skin to Khan’s touch. The gentle tongue had felt good, soothed away the pain of the bruising flesh. Their alliance may not have been something he’d wanted or sought out in other circumstances, but it existed for now, and he had already conditioned himself to accepting any benefits that might come from it.
“This place sucks,” he repeated in a low, rough tone, “and if there’s something that might lessen that, even for a few minutes, for you …” He trailed off and lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “Will you tell me what you want?”
"What I want is not a part of the arrangement," Khan said, clarifying further. But it hinted at the fact that Khan found no real pleasure in manhandling Kirk in the way that was necessary in this environment. Though being rough and dominant did come naturally to the augment. So there was no acting required on that level. "I have been here too long, I think," Khan said after a pause. "For a moment, I wanted to lick and suck at your neck, soothe the muscles, make it smell like me once more."
“Well, that’s- that’s fine, Khan,” Jim said. “I’d prefer to smell like you than like that- that thing that grabbed me.” His voice wobbled on the last words. “Fuck, I owe you my life, and more ... again.” He shut his eyes and tilted even closer to Khan, instinctively seeking out warmth and yes, safety. “Never thought you’d want anything outside the arrangement with me,” he added with a bit of his old wry humor. “Always figured you got the short end of the stick.”
"I have no wish to break the rules of our arrangement," Khan said, though he slid his hand over Jim's chest, rubbing small circles to keep his blood circulating. "For a moment, for a reason I cannot explain, I forgot that it was a lie. And so I wanted ... I wanted-" Khan frowned slightly, "I wanted to soothe my lover. Not put on a show."
Jim finally lifted his head and opened his eyes to really regard Khan, close and personal. “I’ve never allowed myself to think of it as more than an arrangement,” he rasped. “Something we both had to do to get out of here.”
Khan had all the power in this place, and Jim never forgot that. He’d thought of what might become of him if, as was certainly well possible, the Enterprise couldn’t rescue them. Khan’s rage might turn on him or he might toss Jim to the prison population, as so many of the weaker prisoners were once their owners tired of them. Neither of those things were pleasant prospects. Binding Khan to him with ties stronger than just their arrangement, the ties of a lover, that was prudent. Logical, even, as Spock would say.
But it would also be monstrous to do to the older man if Jim didn’t really want it; one more monstrous act in Hell. Khan had been stuck here longer than Jim, and despite his being designed to survive, Jim didn’t really believe he was completely unscarred by it. He never said or showed anything, so it was based solely on Jim’s gut feeling. He had pretty damn good guts, though.
So, he considered it with his quicksilver mind and with his carefully guarded heart, deciding if he wanted more, wanted Khan. And after a moment, he nodded once, eyes a little brighter than they had been since he was tossed into this pit.
“We could do both,” he offered quietly. “Might take me some time to get used to the idea, but I’d like something good. Fuck. I could really use something good right now, Khan.” And to show he wasn’t kidding, he leaned in and lightly scraped his teeth over the underside of Khan’s jaw, a submissive gesture in wolves, which Khan had demanded of him in several of their ‘shows.’
It had been only a stray thought. One he almost did not admit to. It had not occurred to Khan that Kirk would be agreeable. At most, Khan expected that he might have to apologize for voicing the uncomfortable thought, and the two would return to the roles in their arrangement. But now- now, Jim was kissing him in the way wolves did, with their teeth, and a tightness in his chest began to ease. "Yes-" Khan agreed. "I too, could use something good right now."
“Please, tell me what you want, what you’re thinking, Khan,” Jim said, making it a plea, rather than a demand. He believed the augment responded better to being asked, especially humbly. Allowing himself to relax a little, he pressed into the warmth of the augment, knowing they would soon need to give their listening audience what he wanted anyway. Jim desired to have reached some sort of accord with the older man before that necessity.
"I want to soothe the tenderness of your neck, with my mouth. And in the future, I would like to soothe the aches I give you, after providing the necessary spectacle. Would that be acceptable, to begin with?"
“Yeah, I’d like that, Khan,” Jim said quietly. “Would you allow me to help you when you’re injured defending me? I know you probably don’t need it as much as I do, but- I don’t like to watch you hurt.” He reached out tentatively and touched one of the almost healed cuts on Khan’s chest, where the Nausicaan had torn at him.
It was a curious thing. Khan had never had anyone in his life attend to him in such a way. Or even suggest doing so. And though it was not strictly necessary, Khan felt that he might like the attention, the extra pair of hands on him as he healed. "Thank you. That would be- an unexpected kindness in this place."
Jim cleared his throat and said, “It doesn’t have to end there. We could, put on a spectacle without it being solely for show ... if you wanted. Especially when we’re here, away from more than ears. Up to you … but I’d like that.” He rubbed his thumbs over the augment’s strong torso and traced his collarbone, thinking the man was thinner than he should be. Still built of muscle, but without anything else to support his frame.
"How might we do this?" Khan asked, willing to listen and clearly open to ideas for them to move forward in this way. "How might I, make it more enjoyable for you?" Khan allowed his own hand to fall away from Jim's chest, no longer attempting to circulate the blood in his body, as he could tell that his human companion was getting warmer now that they had been under the blanket together for this extended time.
“Prep,” Jim said instantly. “We’ll have to improvise it, but fucking Hell I am sick of being abraded to shit.” He flushed a little at his outburst and then quirked his lips at Khan. “Even saliva would be better than nothing. Won’t always be able to, but when we can ... please?” He lifted his head again to look into his eyes. “Let me see you, when I can. It’ll be easier to see that you don’t mean it then ... It’s hard to believe when you can’t see.” He reached for the hand that had fallen away and tangled their fingers. “Touch sometimes like you want to.”
Khan met Jim's eyes, steady and calm. "It was meant as a small mercy- taking you from behind. So that I did not see your pain and disgust. And you did not see mine." Though as Jim also requested that Khan touch him, of his own free will, because he wanted to, not because he had to, Khan leaned in once more and began to bathe his tongue over Jim's abused neck. "I shall." He said quietly.
“And in public, it worked better,” Jim agreed softly, arching his neck to the warm touch. “We’ll have to do it again that way, I’m sure. Where you can’t prep me, and we can’t see each other. It’s the part we both have to play until we get out of here.” He dared finally to lift both of his arms and wrap them loosely around Khan’s neck and shoulders, just resting them there. “That feels nice,” he murmured indistinctly. “Bastard really did a job on me. Thought he might crush my throat for a second. And then you showed up.”
"The new shipment of prisoners also brought cargo, food for the guards, rations for us, tools for the mine ... I was getting supplies, when I became alerted to what was going on. I have food in the crate, if you are hungry." Khan offered, though leaned into the almost-embrace, turning his head further to the side so that he could lick and clean the abused muscle.
“‘S not your fault,” Jim murmured. “Jus’ bad luck. Only good luck I’ve had in months is your being here. And that’s not much luck for you.” He arched his head up as far as it would go now, wanting the warm tongue to soothe away all of the aches of his neck. “Can eat after you fuck me.”
Khan hummed softly, perhaps for the first time since making their arrangement, actually looking forward to the sex. But for now, he tilted his head to the other side and carefully pressed his lips to the front of Jim's throat, nuzzling the spot with his nose, before licking at the skin, in long, slow drags of his tongue.
Jim, too, for the first time, allowed himself to fully enjoy Khan’s touches. He had always loved sex, from a very young age, where he’d discovered some of the magical properties of his cock. But this place had dulled that enjoyment, twisted it into something unpleasant and even sick. He wanted the fun back, the pleasure. And with Khan, done right, the immense thrill of putting himself in the hands of someone a fuckton stronger and with a cock that could split him in two. He moaned, though it hurt his throat to do so, and said, “Feels fucking good, Khan …”
Khan could still not accurately explain to himself, never mind articulate it to Jim, why it was he wanted to do this. Why this, of all things, had been his desire. Other than to say that he wanted to treat Jim as his lover, as someone who was his (but not in the cruel, perverse way that was unfortunately popular in a place like this). Someone, Khan would look after, even if they had not made an arrangement. "We will give your throat time to rest and heal." Khan said, by way of suggesting that he would not be leaving bite marks there any time soon, nor expect to take oral satisfaction by fucking his mouth.
“Thanks,” Jim croaked and shifted back and down. He arranged their pile of furs as comfortably as possible and spread himself back over them. Quick, nimble fingers began to rid him of the raggedy clothing he wore, setting it aside carefully. There were multiple layers to be taken care of, but with Khan keeping their main set of furs over his shoulders and above Jim like a tent, he stripped himself for the augment to really see. This was an art, and Jim was a master, exposing himself for the first time completely to let Khan view what he had gotten in this deal. And when he was finally bare, he spread his legs and just gazed a challenge at the augment.
Without comment, except for a small, growing pleasure in his eyes, Khan watched as Jim unwrapped himself, presenting his body as a gift, for Khan to accept and take. With the fur blanket further shielding them from the sadistic world they found themselves, Khan and Jim could share this small privacy with each other. The heat of their bodies trapped under the blanket helped to block out the cold of the world, beyond where they lay. And so holding himself up with one arm, Khan reached with his other hand, stroking his hand down Jim's torso, touching the skin and muscle in a way he had not previously allowed himself.
Jim’s eyes fluttered as a pleasant sensation spread through him from where that hand traced over his body, the touch not harsh or demanding, but gentle, exploring, if perhaps a bit proprietary. But he figured that was Khan’s nature. He arched up slightly into the fingers on his chest and abdomen and made a low, contented noise in the back of his throat. He didn’t want to encourage Khan to speed up this time, though they probably should for sake of the show, but instead, just asked for touch everywhere. “What do you want?” he repeated.
Still fully clothed, Khan settled himself between Jim's parted thighs, pressing the weight of his body over his companion. His left hand skimmed down Jim's right arm until coming to his wrist and the soft part of his palm. Here Khan held his hand, in a way, as he began to rub against Jim's inner thigh. The augment found the slow friction of their bodies arousing, though watched Jim for signs that this was good for him as well.
Jim studied his companion with equal interest, the bright blue of his eyes gleaming in the low light of their room. He reached up slowly with the hand not holding Khan’s and carefully stroked through the dark hair of his head. There was something arousing now in being naked while Khan remained clothed, and he lightly rutted into the augment in response to the bulge pressing into his thigh. He allowed his head to fall back slowly to expose his neck to Khan again, invitation and submissiveness in one.
With his face pressed in close, Khan began to lightly kiss Jim on the neck, still wishing to pay the wounded area his attention. Minute by minute, Khan began to relax, cautiously exploring how some of these encounters might not be so bad. Indeed, as a pleasant shuddering sensation slid down his back and settled in his groin, Khan groaned openly as he expressed genuine pleasure.
Jim echoed that noise, though his throat prevented it from being a very impressive sound. Still, he wanted to both give their normal show and demonstrate to Khan that he was enjoying the current sensations. And the lips on his neck were soft and tender and very different from anything he’d experienced in months. “Khan,” he whispered and dipped his fingers deeper into the long hair, petting now as he would a large cat. He rubbed a little more firmly into Khan’s groin, encouraging the growing hardness.
As the heat of Jim's body became more welcoming and teased the augment's senses, Khan finally reached below and undid the top of his pants. Enough, that he could pull his cock out and rub it against Jim's skin without barrier. Here, Khan began to rub himself along the side of Jim's shaft, letting the two bump into one another and rub more intimately. "There, that's good." Aware that his dialogue needed to show that he was in control of Jim and pleased with his efforts. But what they were doing under the blankets was now nobody's business. So Khan used his warm hand to stroke them both in turn, keeping the blood circulating and stimulating the delicate nerves.
Even with the change in their agreement, Khan still dominated the proceedings, clothed and on top of the naked Jim. But he felt comfortable now with the arrangement, welcoming Khan’s warmth and the pleasure that coursed from his cock upward and throughout. He tugged lightly at their joined hands and brought them up to his mouth, where he could lick at Khan’s knuckles and finally, take his thumb lightly into a warm, nimble mouth. He shut his eyes and sucked as he would give a blowjob, though not so deep or as roughly, since his throat protested.
"Oh- I like that." Khan said with another groan, which vibrated through his body and caused the augment to arch and thrust in place. "That's good ... you are very good-" Khan said, letting his lips once more brush against the side of Jim's neck, where he began to lick and gently suck an area close to his shoulder, which was not as badly discolored.
Jim made a deliberately harsh sound around Khan’s thumb and regretted it when it nearly unleashed a coughing fit. But he fought it down and sucked even more fervently at the digit, before releasing with a wet popping sound. “Lubricant?” he asked quietly and switched to licking at the other fingers, before releasing Khan’s hand with his own so he could take in the first two digits of his hand to wet as much as possible.
Khan was surprised that Jim was still willing, as he knew that the saliva would barely get the job done. It would still be a rough ride and it was upsetting to think about, now that he had to face seeing the pain in Jim's face. "It will have to do." Khan said, pressing a kiss to the side of Jim's neck before pulling his head back a little to watch.
Jim sucked until Khan’s fingers were dripping and then released them with another lewd sound. “It’ll be alright,” he told the augment and gave the hand a little push under the blanket. “Tell me how much you like to have me riding your hand, your cock,” he urged and angled his hips a little to give Khan more room to push inside. “It’ll be alright,” he repeated firmly, just for Khan’s ears.
Taking the time to feel around, Khan used two of his wet fingertips to rub the outside rim of Jim's hole. He could tell where some of it was still raw, but moving forward, Khan could show more care with the human body entrusted to him. Rubbing this area, making it wet and slick so that it no longer felt chapped, Khan began to work his finger inside, which was a relief to them both, in different ways. Still, Khan shifted between watching Jim like a hawk, or else looking down between their two bodies while he fingered him.
Jim grunted a little at the first penetration, deep and low. He had taken Khan inside his body many times before this and could, indeed, count Khan as his most frequent sexual companion, which was a good joke on them both. But this was the first time the augment had taken care to really stretch before he shoved his cock inside. During their initial coupling, which had been a nightmare affair in front of almost the entire prison population, Jim had literally shrieked as Khan’s cock tore into his ass. Only part of that noise had been for show, and his ass slowly healed from that trauma and the others that followed.
He didn’t blame Khan. Never had. They were stuck in an unfortunate situation and making the best of it. However, it had left his ass more than a little sore and continually abraded.
“There’s a tear on the upper left,” he whispered to the augment, even as he began to actively ride the fingers to try and push his muscles open.
Khan knew he should not have allowed it to get that bad. But he had. He had disconnected from it all, as he had with other forms of pain. "I won't push." Khan said quietly. "You ride my hand." He said, giving Jim the say of how deep to take his fingers, and how hard. Then with his other hand, Khan returned to stroking them both off, though did give himself a bit more of the attention, teasing and squeezing the head, searching for a way to find his release.
Jim smiled a little at the offer and shook his head. “Not sure I can be convincing that way ... not the way my throat is raw. Unless you can make up for my lack of noise.” He wriggled a little to try and get the fingers deeper. A groan did escape him at the touches to his cock. Moving the hand not still in Khan’s hair, which had tightened into the black locks, he cupped the augment’s full sack and tugged at them, just the right side of too hard. “Are you going to splatter me with cum, Khan, since you can’t release inside me?”
"Ah- yes-" Khan groaned deeply, enjoying the firm hold Jim managed. His cock twitched further in his hand, as a sharp thrill darted through his veins. "Ah! You are such a good fuck!" Khan said, attempting to illustrate a scene for the eavesdroppers, even though the truth of it would be between Khan and Jim, only. Khan thrust and rutted against Jim and his own hand, his breathing harder and hotter in the cold air. "Come on- come on-" Khan growled out, head bowed down and eyes closed for a second as he managed to spill himself over Jim's stomach, cock, and the crevice of his thighs.
Jim smirked a little at the words, but angled himself so the fingers inside him did rub at the sensitive skin of his anus. He winced and made several deep, pained noises, as if Khan were deliberately being rough. However, he needed the stimulus of the pain to really achieve the sounds necessary for their audience. But he slowed and stopped as Khan came all over him, blinking a few times at the augment, before he smiled a little, lips quirked up. “You did that on purpose,” he said softly. “You’ve never come that fast before.”
The effort Jim was making astounded the augment. The two had always played their roles well, but this was different. Jim had thrown himself head first into hot waters in order to truly sell the experience. Amazed by this, Khan hummed softly, kissing Jim on the side of his neck. "Perhaps because, this is the first time I have enjoyed myself. I liked it when you pulled on my sack and my hair." Khan admitted, his eyes cool and focused on Jim.
Jim carefully moved his hand away from Khan’s testicles and lifted it to his mouth to lick. He kept petting at the augment’s long hair, though, enjoying the softness. Even as his tongue worked slowly over his fingers, he murmured, “It’s better when you enjoy yourself.” He dropped his hand from his mouth and stretched a little with a low groan as his entire body protested. “Ugh, I’m sore everywhere. Tomorrow’s shift in the mine is going to suck donkey balls.” He relaxed back into the furs and blinked a few times lazily at Khan. “I’ve never asked you, but what do you plan to do once we get off the Hellhole?”
"It is not something I allow myself to think about." Khan said. It was not an idea he would lightly entertain, until he was truly off this frozen rock.
Pulling his fingers out carefully, Khan, gently pet the sphincter muscle with his thumb, offering an intimate, but relaxing touch to Jim's sore and strained body. "If you keep quiet, I could help get you off?" Khan suggested with a slight tilt of his head, uncertain if Jim had those sorts of interests. It was after all, not a conversation they had.
Jim considered a split second and then offered with a sly smile, “You could gag me with your tongue. I think I’d like that.” He wrapped his other arm around Khan’s neck and tilted his head in offer.
Kissing. Kissing had gone almost virtually ignored. Except for Khan demanding a few hard kisses in public. But kissing seemed to be something far too genuine and sweet to exist here. Genuine and sweet did not live long on Rura Penthe. Settling his weight so that he was half straddling one of Jim's legs, Khan nudged his own face closer as he offered Jim a kiss. He tested the taste of Jim's mouth, then kissed him deeper, sucking at his tongue, keeping him mute while his sticky hand began to stroke Jim's cock, squeezing the muscle in pulses, moving as seamlessly as the saliva allowed.
Well, kissing could also be dirty and demanding, and Jim gave that side, scraping Khan’s tongue with his teeth and dueling fiercely with his own tongue. But it did effectively keep him silent enough as he worked hard into the talented, long-fingered hand on his cock. And he dug his fingers more deeply into Khan’s nape, trying to leave a few minor bruises of his own. A few forceful rocks of his hips, the breath sucked almost all out of his lungs, and he splattered them both with his own release, a moment of blissful pleasure.
Though Khan did not say anything, he appeared to almost smile. At least, the corners of his lips pulled into a not-frown. The not-frown lingered as Khan stroked Jim, even after the fact, petting his deflating cock, then touching a little more of his body. Khan then shifted to his side, laying on the bed in the defensive position he took, which kept Jim between Khan and the wall, and it kept Khan as a buffer to the outside world. It was how the two slept at night, warm under the shared blankets. But now it seemed acceptable for Khan to touch his companion, to hold him in bed, rather then simply lay next to him from now on.
Jim grinned a rather satiated smile and stretched again, relieved that his body felt a bit better after the orgasm. But he frowned a little at the mess on his stomach, chest and thighs, muttering, “Shit,” under his breath. He eased away from Khan and climbed into the frigid air to fetch a couple of rags, cleaning himself off and tossing the used rag into their waste pile, before diving back under the covers again. He carried another clean rag and said, “Let me get you,” ducking beneath the covers fully to attend to Khan’s body. And this he did with both tongue (to the few exposed bits of Khan) and rag, showing his streak of mischievous independence.
Laying back slightly, Khan allowed Jim to clean him, though was bewildered by this attention. He had not made any demands for Jim to clean him. Jim was doing so willingly. “Thank you.” the augment said quietly as his eyes lightly closed, like a cat basking comfortably in sunlight.
“You should not leave yourself exposed like that. You are cold again.” Khan observed and reached out under the blankets to rub his hands over Jim's body to warm him up once more.
Jim’s head emerged from the furs to rest on Khan’s shoulder, and he tossed the dirty rag into their waste pile for disposal. He had finished quickly, since so little of Khan’s body had ever been exposed, so most of it was just wiping with the rag. With careful fingers, he had tucked the long, quiescent cock into his pants. Still naked, he snuggled up to the clothed Khan, humming softly at the hands that smoothed over his body. “That’s nice, Khan. I’m gonna be sore in the morning ... cause of the Nausicaan, not you.” He yawned a little and allowed himself to go limp.
Laying in bed with Jim was familiar, but cuddling was new. Khan was quiet for a time, keeping his hands on Jim, ensuring that he did not stay chilled. "When we go to the surface, you will need to stay warm.” It was the first time Khan spoke of their escape, but agreeing on certain things seemed important.
“Yeah,” Jim muttered. “We’re not going to have long at the surface, no matter how well-wrapped I am, before I freeze.” He pulled back a little to study Khan’s face. “How long can you survive up there?”
"I have remained on the surface for five consecutive days. I have not attempted longer than that, but properly supplied I may endure longer.” Khan answered, petting his hand over Jim's side.
Jim nodded a few times and settled his head back on Khan’s shoulder. “I’ll find a way to make sure that Spock treats you right if I’m not alive when they reach here. Just, if you can, take my body with you, huh? Or you know, cremate or dispose of it somehow. I don’t really fancy being left on this place. But I’ll write a note or find a way to record a message, something to let Spock know how you helped me out while we were here and asking him to help you. He’ll respect my wishes.” He sighed once and tugged the furs tighter around them.
"It is unhealthy to think of defeat, this far in. But I appreciate the consideration. And promise not to leave your body here, if it comes to it." Khan said, his arm lightly hugged around Jim as they laid together. "Spock is ... your commanding officer?" Khan asked, only recalling Jim mentioning a few people by name.
“It’s not unwise to plan,” Jim said, “and it’d be unfair to let you rot here because I don’t make it. Commander Spock is my First Officer and friend. He’s the one who’ll lead the Enterprise here to get me. Well, him and Bones.” He smiled a little at the thought of his friends. “They were pissed when I ordered them to leave me behind, but somebody needed to man the shuttle and distract the Klingons long enough for them to get away. And I was the logical choice.” He paused and said, “Sorry. You’re probably not interested. It’s just been a long time since there was anyway remotely friendly to talk to.”
"There is no need for you to apologize. I will listen. The story will help pass the night, if you are willing. You have history with the Klingons?"
“Tribbles,” Jim said and hiccuped a laugh that was closer to a giggle. “I made fools out of them, and there’s nothing worse in their minds. I’m surprised they decided to just dump me here without more of an interrogation. I think Admiral Pike had something to do with that. The Klingons don’t want a war just now. They’re being battered by the Romulans.”
Khan went very quiet and still to the point it almost seemed like he wasn't breathing. There was information that he knew regarding the Klingons and warfare, but he continued to hold it to himself for the time being, in case the comments was simply a figure of speech. "A life sentence, for embarrassing them? The punishment is out of proportion to the crime. Surely they must know that a rescue plan is intended. Do you not suspect a trap, that upon your rescue, it will be seen as grounds for things to escalate between Starfleet and the Klingon Empire?"
“Well, we foiled their plans for annexing a planet and helped them join the Federation instead,” Jim said, “and embarrassed the Klingons in the process. We’ve had other scrapes with them, too, but I was sentenced mostly for being caught in Klingon space. Spying. Hell, execution was what I really thought I was bound for. I guess this is just their slow version of it. Worst punishment they could think of, and I imagine they’re getting a lot of laughs over you dragging me around as your bitch.” He shifted a little with a slight shiver. “Fuck, I’m glad you’re like a furnace.”
“You must know nobody has ever successfully tried to escape from Rura Penthe,” he continued, “and all escape attempts have been tried from the ground. But we’ve got a sneaky Vulcan on our side, plus a ship in the air. I don’t know how they’ll do it, but in a few weeks’ time, they’ll be here for me ... for us. And once they do find we’ve escaped, they’ll be pissed, sure, but what can they do about it? Even they don’t want a two front war.” He made a pleased noise at the idea.
"Spying." Khan repeated softly with a single-breath chuckle. "The people who end up here generally do not have allies on the outside, willing to help them escape. In your case, you do, and that is a major factor in your favor, and for the success of escaping this place." Khan slid a hand down the length of Jim's arm, finding his fingers, checking them for showing signs of stiffness and cold. "Stay under the covers this time." Khan said as he began to move out from under the blankets. "You need more layers."
“Where are you going, Khan?” Jim asked as the augment moved away. He didn’t want to lose the warmth offered by the other man. “I had no further intentions of leaving the covers, and you’re taking all of the comfort away.” He snuggled even deeper under the heap of old fur as the augment left.
Instead of answering Jim verbally, Khan answered by opening up a crate with supplies he had hoarded and pulled out another blanket. This one was not a large animal fur, but a heavy fibre, woven together. On its own, the blanket wouldn't be enough, but with what they already had in bed, it would certainly help. So Khan laid it on top of the furs, to continue to keep in the warmth of the bed. "And put this on." Khan said as he pulled off his own shirt, long sleeved and with minimal wear marks. Not to mention, already pre-warmed.
And suddenly, Jim faced a protective Khan, one insistent on his being warm and looked after. “Oh, I see how it is,” he teased lightly, but sat up to accept the shirt, which was indeed gloriously heated as he pulled it on. “Yeah, that’s nice. Now, get back under here. Augmented or not, being cold sucks.” He patted the spot beside him and lifted the blankets again. “Will you tell me something?”
Before returning to the bed, Khan pulled on another shirt. It was cold from being in storage, but his own body would bring it up to temperature soon enough. Whereas if he had given Jim the cold shirt, it would have only made Jim colder. Then moving back into bed, Khan settled once more. "What would you like to know."
Jim leaned in to press against Khan again and said, “How Marcus got his dirty hands on you. There was nothing but rumor about most of Section 31 until Admiral Pike had me start to dig. And for all I’ve managed to uncover, you’ve remained one of the most secret parts. Just that a couple of years ago, your alter-ego, John Harrison, appeared in Starfleet records.”
"You know what I am, of course." Khan said calmly, deciding how he would answer. "For Admiral Marcus and Section 31, I was the perfect spy, mastermind, engineer, sleeper agent, and weapon. But I could not be any of those things, if I could not be controlled." Khan attempted to explain, his eyes shifting to observe the ice crystals on the wall, rather than look at Jim directly. "I was altered and brainwashed into thinking that I was John Harrison. That the life of John Harrison was my only life, and that my loyalty belonged to Starfleet."
“Fuck, that’s- well, that’s exactly the evil shit Marcus and Section 31 pulls,” Jim said quietly. “Your appearance was altered? I mean, I looked up Khan Noonien Singh, and the old pictures didn’t look like you, but I thought maybe that was from when you had to flee Earth? But you’re saying that’s 'cause of Marcus?”
"Admiral Marcus had my facial structure altered, and changed the pigment of my skin, so that indeed, no one would look at me and see a historical artifact walking through the streets. It was his intention to strip me of all connection to my previous identity, so that I would not be triggered by the memory of my past, or who I was, by simply looking in a mirror." Khan said, frowned a little, then finally looked to Jim.
Jim lifted up a hand and touched Khan’s face gently with his knuckles, tracing the line of his cheek. “We can talk to Bones about fixing it ... you know, reversing the process, if you want. If anyone can do it, it’s Bones.” He frowned a little, a wrinkle between his eyes. “I suppose you haven’t heard any of the news since you’ve gotten here. Like about the seventy-two specially designed torpedoes.”
Trusting doctors was not high on Khan's list at the moment. Though he did want to look like himself again, to look at his own body or reflection without irritation or anger. To know, that someone else was seeing him in the same way Khan knew he was on the inside. But to all of this, Khan did not address any sense of hope.
However, Khan felt his heart leap in his chest at the very specifically meaningful number. "Explain."
“The Enterprise has them,” Jim said quietly. “We found them on the USS Lexington, when we stopped them from firing them on Qu’noS. And Scotty discovered what was inside them. Who, I guess we should say. Fuck, Marcus was going to get rid of some of the evidence while starting his war. If we hadn’t figured out the plan, he might have succeeded.” He moved so he could look into Khan’s eyes.
"You have them?" Khan asked, even though Jim had just answered him. The augment had very mixed feelings about this. "What are your intentions?"
“Don’t be an ass,” Jim hissed fiercely. “I’m not Admiral Marcus. We don’t have any intentions, except to keep them safe. We don’t know what to do otherwise, anyway. Section 31 was going to destroy them, and we’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen. And what with the case being built against Marcus and Section 31, they’re also evidence.” He shifted and slid a hand over Khan’s chest. “That’s part of the reason I wanted to know your ideas and plans for when you got out of here. Your crew is safe for now, but we must find a way to keep it that way.”
Khan considered Jim Kirk and the intensity of his words. Admiral Marcus and Captain Kirk were not to be compared. They simply were not the same in any manner of thinking. "I too, can be evidence. If given the opportunity." Khan said after a moment of thought. The augment had intended to find his crew and take revenge on Admiral Marcus for all that he had done. But his crew was found, my Kirk. And testifying against the Admiral might not been the revenge Khan had been thinking, but it could be a start.
“Fuck, yeah, we’ll give you the opportunity,” Jim said with a scowl. “You’re like exhibit number one as to all of the evil that’s been perpetrated by Section 31. They have taken everything I love about the Federation and pissed all over it.” He frowned and settled his head on Khan’s shoulder again. “I’m not really sure how to make it up to you, or any of the victims of Section 31.” He stroked gently at Khan’s strong chest and lightly rubbed his thumb over one of Khan’s nipples, unconsciously acting as he had with other lovers. It was a sign of his growing comfort now in Khan’s presence.
Turning his head, Khan glanced down at Jim, cuddled up close to him, showing new familiarity and comfort with their arrangement now that it had evolved somewhat. This was definitely better for both of them. "It is not your personal responsibility to make it up to me. But I would like legal protection for me crew, so that this does not happen again."
“It’s partly my responsibility, as a Captain in Starfleet,” Jim muttered. “To my way of thinking, meeting your people should have been handled like a first contact. You should have the same legal protections as any people.” He paused and chewed on his lower lip. “When did you wake up to who you really are?”
"You mean, when did I start to remember when I was Khan, and not John?" Khan sighed deeply, some frustration on this issue still lingering. "There were moments, when I was in the field, I was remembering things that I could not explain. A smell-" Khan began to illustrate, lightly closing his eyes as he drew up these memories. "And I would be reminded of horse stables, or a color pattern, and I would remember clothing from hundreds of years ago ... it was impossible to rationalize, until it came back to me in full force. By then however, Admiral Marcus had suspected that my memory was returning and that I had grown immune to the drugs and techniques used to keep me obedient. So he got rid of me, without killing me, in case he needed me again."
“By having you exiled here?” Jim asked with incredulity. “How the Hell would he ever get you back from here?” He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “I don’t even want to think about it. There’s been scuttlebutt of members of the Klingon High Council, as well as some of their generals, who want a war with Starfleet, too. Since the destruction of part of Qu’noS, the Klingon Empire has been looking to expand. They think us weak. It’s hard to think of one of our own conspiring with the very people who want to make war on us because he wants that war himself.” He made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. “We have to get off this fucking place.”
"Admiral Marcus has the mind to dominate exploration and settlements in the universe, under the Starfleet flag. Therefore, other organizations, such as the Klingon Empire, or the Cardassian Union pose a great threat to that idea, as they have their own ambitions for claiming planets and zones within space for themselves. He believes, by showing a stranger hand in warfare, he can dominate other races, and keep them dependent upon Starfleet as a leader, rather than evolve independently." As he spoke, Khan found that his hand had somehow begun to pet at the small hairs at the back of Jim's neck, a light touch to a heavy conversation.
“What bothers me is that he’s not alone,” Jim whispered. “He’s put together such a large organization inside of Starfleet. It’s hard to know who to trust.” He paused and lifted his head again. “But you know, don’t you? I bet you don’t forget a face or a name. You can help us make sure we weed out everyone who’s been involved ... if you want.” He pulled another face. “I shouldn’t presume ... this isn’t your fight, for all that Marcus tried to make it yours.”
"Yes. I remember every name, every face, and every deed." Khan said simply, as he distanced himself from certain memories. "Starfleet could be good." Khan admitted. "Or it could be corrupt. And when it comes to injustice and corruption, I have a long history of being quite vocal."
“More than just vocal I bet,” Jim said quietly, thinking of what Khan had done to the Nausicaan. “We’ll need that if we’re going to root out the evil in Starfleet.” He sighed and closed his eyes with a grumble. “At this rate, I’m going to be too worked up to get any sleep at all. I’m going to need to get up early enough to catch some breakfast tomorrow, since we missed out on dinner.”
"There are supplies in the crate." Khan said as a reminder. "Do not go to sleep hungry. Eat."
“Ugh, I thought you told me not to get up again,” Jim grumbled, but extricated himself to crawl over to the crates and fetch himself some of the food that were edible for him. He zipped right back into the furs, but turned away from Khan to make sure he didn’t get crumbs on the augment. “I’m looking forward to getting off the crap they call food around here. At least I can eat it.”
"The Klingons have different nutritional needs then humans. Many of their foods are high in protein and fat, so at least that is suitable to your metabolism for surviving this environment." Khan said, placing both hands on Jim's back as he moved close to spoon him from behind so that he would remain warm, even though he had left the bed briefly.
“And you make sure we get enough,” Jim said. “That’s another thing I would have struggled with being on my own.” He pressed closer to the augment to capture all that warmth against his back. “It’s funny, you almost have a way of looking on the bright side of our time here. Is that an adaptive mechanism?”
Khan found that this made him chuckle. His left hand slid over Jim's side and rested comfortably on his hip, simply holding his human companion from behind. "It is practical to see the assets. Negative thinking is very destructive when captured, imprisoned, or tortured. It lessens the will to live."
Jim found he liked the chuckle very much and turned his neck enough to look at Khan for a second with a flash of a grin. “Don’t think that applies to me, but I’ve never been much for following the normal path. Guess that’s why I’m always getting into trouble. But it’s also why I’ve gotten to do so many different things, too. And people.” He grinned to himself, this time, and munched more on the disgusting bar.
"Indeed." Khan said with a soft, but warm huff of breath. Shifting his shoulders from side to side, Khan found a comfortable position so that he could rest his head against the back of Jim's shoulder.
Jim finished the bar and tossed the wrapper into the pile, before relaxing completely into the furs. “Night, Khan. Let’s hope tomorrow is as good a day as one gets around here, huh?”
"Yes, Jim." Khan answered, eyes closed, but not yet sleeping against the other man.