#it’s the little things between them that really tear my heart into pieces #such small things like calling him ‘james’ instead of ‘jim’ #the same way any father will use their child’s full name when they want their kid to take them seriously #pike’s tone is stern but if you look #the set of his mouth isn’t even disapproving or annoyed #and there’s just this faint hint of almost amusement in his eyes #this fond exasperation that he easily masks with a strict facade #i like to think that pike #when he was younger #was a lot like jim #and he sees himself or a past version of himself in jim #and wants to bring him to success and self-confidence #(real self-confidence #not the cocky persona jim puts forward) #pike is most likely the first person who put a strong arm on jim #(not a hitting hand or an angry slap but just a grip to restrain him when needed and steer him towards a better path) #and told him that he could achieve whatever he wanted #while giving him no room to hold himself to any standard except one of excellence #jim kirk may have made it to the top #but it was pike who gave him the ladder to climb him and kicked him in the ass to get him going #smiling to himself the entire time (via sweetfleet)

