Retribution
is written by KCS.
After the events of "The Deadly Years", Spock seeks out his captain to talk about an incident which hurt them both. But the effort to repair their battered friendship may bring up disturbing events from the past.
This fanfiction contains the following tropes:
- Armor-Piercing Question: Spock uses a question to get Kirk to give up his self-blame.Kirk: Spock, you weren't in your right mind!Spock: And today, Captain, today — were you?
- Be All My Sins Remembered: Kirk seems determined to blame himself for his harsh words to Spock...only to find out that Spock has similar feelings about nearly killing Kirk during "Amok Time."
- Call-Back: Spock mentions the kal-i-fee from "Amok Time."
- Driven to Suicide: Spock remembers "welcom[ing] death itself" after apparently murdering Kirk.
- Dropping the Bombshell: As the conversation goes on and Kirk refuses to respond, Spock says something which shocks the captain.Captain, no possible offense you could ever commit against my person could ever come close to equaling murder.
- Fix Fic: It was written to smooth over the hostile scene between Kirk and Spock during the episode.
- Forgiveness: Spock forgives Kirk for his earlier accusations of treachery because he knows the captain was Not Himself and forces Kirk to forgive himself by reminding him that Kirk forgave him for much worse.
- Hurt/Comfort Fic: Kirk and Spock console each other over some of the lower points in their friendship.
- Insult to Rocks: Kirk comments that he isn't a coward; he's worse, because a coward wouldn't have been bold enough to call Spock a traitor to his face.
- Not So Stoic: Kirk spends most of the fic depressed. Spock actually raises his voice, intimidating his friend, just before mentioning his guilt over the kal-i-fee.
- Not Himself: Spock convinces Kirk to stop his self-blame by getting him to admit that he wasn't in his right mind.
- Sleep Cute: Kirk falls asleep against Spock as he meditates. Spock doesn't mind, until McCoy wanders in to check on them and snaps a picture of it.
- Stunned Silence: Kirk is "surprised temporarily beyond words" by Spock's guilt confession, because he cannot see how Spock can take the blame for something he did while not himself.
- Suddenly Shouting: Spock actually raises his voice in frustration.
- Troubled Fetal Position: Kirk is sitting "with his knees drawn up to his chest" when Spock enters the room.
