#my actual star trek knowledge is very slim 😅

[silvermoon-scrolls]

DarkHawk - a Star Trek AU

Jim Hawkins, the youngest captain in Starfleet command, paired with the gruff and hardened chief security officer Ross Poldark as his second in command.

A partnership that perhaps doesn’t start out on the right foot?

Words: 832 Warnings: Inappropriate language and "flirting" AO3

For @deanobingo, and @gatheringfiki's AUpocalypse

~

The hour was late when Commander Ross Poldark entered the Captain’s ready room unprompted, his features stern and sour – but with a hint of a color to his cheeks brought on by a recent glass of Irish whiskey. Or two.

Jim Hawkins looked up from the chair where he was sitting behind his desk. “What a pleasant surprise,” he said, showing off attentive, blue eyes, and a small dimple on his left cheek.

Ross huffed. These fake pleasantries were beneath him.

The polite smile faded from Hawkins’ lips. He carefully closed the book he had been reading, demonstratively put it aside, and asked in a serious, if not unfriendly, tone, “What is your problem with me, Mr Poldark?” After a small paus, he added. “And do speak freely.”

“You know full well what the problem is,” Ross began, heatedly. “You are too young and inexperienced to hold such a position on a ship as significant as this. Real captaining can’t be learnt in schools and textbooks.” The captain’s raised eyebrow did nothing to dissuade him from continuing to impress his disdain. “You are naive, and your insistence on overindulging in complaisant, so-called ‘diplomacy’, might very well get us killed one day.” 

Hawkings sighed, looking disappointed and even amused of all things. “You mistake politeness for naïvete,” he responded calmly. “And perhaps you don’t know my background as well as you think.”

What was there to know? This was a classic case of a newly graduating officer with zero world experience, not daring to step on anyone’s foot or step one millimeter outside the starfleet’s guidelines, and all-together being either afraid or incapable of making the hard calls. How this innocent-looking, tiny sprig of a man had managed to land this position was beyond Ross’ comprehension; his slight frame looked like it would break from a bout of moderately sized turbulence.

“We should not be pandering to our inferiors,” Ross insisted, hands balling into fists. “If you continue your concept of ‘turning the other cheek’, sooner or later you will turn the wrong kind of cheek – inviting us all to get fucked.”

The coarse language did not seem to offend Hawkins in the slightest. In fact, much to Ross’ annoyance, it rather seemed to amuse him. A hint of a smile was playing on the Captain’s lips before he hid it away. “You paint a very vivid picture, Commander,” he finally commented, seemingly straight-faced. But the sparkle in his eyes betrayed him.

Ross was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected reaction, but then he pulled himself together. Linking his hands behind his back and straightening himself, he elected to stare straight ahead at the opposite wall – just looking at the insufferable boy made his temper flair.

He gritted his teeth. “This is not a joking matter. As Chief Security Officer, it is my duty to keep the ship and its crew safe. But in the end it doesn't matter what I think, only what the enemy does,” he explained, biting off his words. “And sooner or later one of them will see your ‘politeness’ as a weakness that they will take advantage of.”

“I see,” was all the so-called Captain deigned to respond with.

He had had enough. It was completely infuriating how he just sat there calm as clam, completely ignoring all of Ross’ valid criticism! He couldn’t stop himself. ”Perhaps what you need is a demonstration; something to make you realize the seriousness of our situation,” he continued heatedly, all sense of propriety thrown out the airlock. “Perhaps what you need is to be bent over and shown what it’s like to be properly screwed. It might even dislodge that rigid stick up your arse – Sir.”

The silence that followed was compact. And long enough for Ross to realize what he had just said, wondering which part it was that was gonna get him demoted and thrown off the ship. The scraping sound of the chair slowly being pushed back was deafening.

“Mr Poldark,” the Captain began somberly as he rose. “You are greatly overestimating my lack of–,” here, the corner of Hawkins' mouth twitched upwards, “experience. Both in the field and otherwise.”

Ross breathlessly held his tongue as the other man slowly rounded the desk and casually approached him. Yes, definitely a man and not a boy, Ross realized, despite the slight frame. Hawkins didn’t stop until he was close enough that he had to slightly bend his neck to look up at Ross’ flushed face.

The man was standing with his hands at his back, very at ease with himself. His voice was low and sultry when he spoke. “If you need direct proof of my prowess, Commander, all you have to do is ask.” His eyes danced with mirth and confidence.

Ross swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.Jim’s grin widened invitingly as he took half a step closer – a feline ready to pounce. “But perhaps it is you who could benefit from something stiff up your backside?”