Restraint (Star Trek: TOS story)

Fanfiction
Title:	Restraint
Author(s):	Jean Lightfoot
Date(s):	2004
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:	online here
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Restraint is a Kirk/Spock story by Jean Lightfoot.

It was published in the print zine Dark Fire #1.

Summary

"Kirkʼs love is put to the test when, after a violent confrontation, Spock begins to pull back from the strong physical and emotional responses Kirk engenders in him."

Reactions and Reviews

I approached the idea of reading any story from the zine Dark Fire with some trepidation. I’m not really a fan of the darker side of K/S, and I am perplexed at the idea of a whole zine dedicated to the theme. I’m a wimp when it comes to Kirk and Spock and their love.

But...I knew that Jean Lightfoot had not just a story but more like a novella in the zine! How could I resist? I’ve loved just about everything she’s written, she’s one of the very best writers in our fandom, and we haven’t had something new from her of any length for a long time. And, though I have a reputation for not liking BDSM in toto, that’s not really true. I really don’t care for extreme BDSM, and I object to its gratuitous insertion in any form into a story, but I have been known to enjoy it when there is purpose behind it. For example, I am a huge fan of the novella “Debriefing” by Katherine Cooke, and that story certainly strays into these areas....

I really, really, really like this story! Is three “really’s” enough to convey my conviction? Let me enumerate some of the elements of this story that attract my admiration. 1. First and foremost, I really admire the structure of “Restraint.” It opens with a scene of Kirk and Spock in bed, with the problem of Spock’s restraint there already well established. Kirk’s frustration is palpable. Much of the rest of the novella is back story to establish what has happened for the two of them to reach this point in their lives, and as I read along, I realized how brilliantly this was all presented. If the author had followed a straight linear plotline, she would have lost a lot of the tension that first scene inspired. And a lot of the interest, because I was trying to put together pieces of a puzzle, as it were, to figure out how this disjunction in Kirk and Spock’s relationship had happened. I do believe that the most important element in writing fiction is structure, and to my mind, “Restraint” is brilliantly structured as it moves back and forth from present to past and back again. 2. I love reading about a “different” Kirk and Spock. We all write different characters even though they are based on the same portrayal on the screen, and ideally the same writer will write different Kirks and Spocks for different stories. I have not come across these particular characters often, if at all. Here were two mature men who wanted a relationship but found that there were obstacles in the way. The twist that Spock wanted to conduct their relationship in the “human” way instead of a Vulcan way was original and thought-provoking. (I totally accept this; in my mind, it is easy to conceive of a Spock who would reject involvement with things Vulcan after the events of Amok Time.) I also really like the Kirk who got caught in a situation where he had to make love to a native leader to “consummate” a business deal (so to speak); he handled it without emotional hand- wringing, the way I would like to think he really would. I also really like how these characters have deficiencies or gaps. Yes, Kirk should have known enough to discuss certain things with Spock once their relationship got going, but it is understandable that he didn’t. 3. Another thing I really like about this Kirk is his almost-steadfast commitment to Spock. His avowals of commitment aren’t sappy or saccharine or goopy; they are the proclamations of a man I’d like to know, a man I’d be pleased to serve under on that ship. Yes, there are a few moments where he wavers, wondering if he and Spock will need to part, but in general he’s pretty darned determined to find a way to make their relationship work. And his wavering only makes him feel more real to me. Spock, too, especially by the end of the story, is definitely interested in saving the relationship, and I loved his reaction in the shop! 4. I thought the alien cultures portrayed were really interesting. The author goes into detail on one of them, the first, where the beings basically live in trees. I won’t go into detail here, since the reader will hopefully enjoy this rendering themselves, but I found it all quite fascinating. 5. I guess this is implied in what I’ve said already, but I do like the fact that this relationship isn’t perfect, that they have problems. It’s an established relationship story that takes on reality, which is that even though Kirk and Spock are great brother officers, there is no guarantee that a love affair will meet all their needs. It takes a fine, determined mind to convey this story, and the author does so really well. 6. I like the fact that the BDSM elements are quite mild and that they exist in this story for a purpose. First, I have only recently been exposed to some of the more extreme elements of BDSM that made my mouth drop open. I had thought I’d known what the term encompassed, but I was absolutely wrong. I could only ever imagine liking a K/S story with rather mild kinkiness involved, such as has been written in zine stories for the last thirty years. Yes, we’ve had these elements in our fiction forever. What’s in “Restraint” is really quite mild bondage, easily within my ability to accept and enjoy. The second warning for the novella is partner rape. Well, if you read K/S, you’d better get used to this. Although the partner rape in this particular story doesn’t follow the norm that we’ve all read a hundred times, it was similar enough in its substance to rape during pon farr that I wonder why the warning was even issued. Most importantly, though, the bondage in this story exists for a reason. It is anything but gratuitous; it’s a means to an end. Kirk, and Spock, too, are after a healthy, functional relationship in which both of them can be satisfied physically, psychologically, and emotionally. If this is what it takes, then they are willing to give it a try. 7. This story might have a few repetitions or a few rough transitions that I would have liked to see smoothed over, but my primary impression was of a story written really well. It was a pleasure for me to read the sentences! And a pleasure to see my two favorite characters in all the world presented in this unusual, thought-provoking, and ultimately sympathetic way.

Brava, Jean Lightfoot! Oh, please, give us more!

Jenna wrote a wonderful LOC for this story last month, and the aspects that pleased her so much are those I also like, so I’ll just make a few additional comments here.

First, one of the “darker” themes that is explored in “Restraint” is jealousy, certainly a theme that has seen so much exploration in K/S fanfic, however, I really enjoyed how it was presented in this story. The two alien cultures shown are fascinating in and of themselves, but they also serve as models of the jealousy that eats away at the relationship Kirk and Spock have forged. Spock must share his mind with an alien leader, and I found it so fascinating that it is Kirk, the human, who bitterly resents standing by while this very singular Vulcan gift is given to someone else. In the next culture they encounter, it is Kirk who must share his body to make sure a mission succeeds, while Spock, the Vulcan, attempts to control his anger and physical passion as Kirk gives away what Spock regards as belonging to him alone. Sometimes physical restraints are the simplest ones to manage. Being the heroes they are, neither can settle for less than the total fulfillment they know this relationship can bring to each separately and to both together as a couple. To make it work between them, they have the courage to try unorthodox means to an end. And to repeat what Jenna mentioned, the BD aspects of the story are quite mild and not overblown or gratuitous in any way so if that is keeping you from giving this story a try, don’t let it. These are two consenting adults who love each other very much and will do what it takes to be together in all ways.

I also very much enjoyed the flow of the language and the secret peek into the inner lives of two such extraordinary men seen through the eyes of one of our best authors. She’s been far too long absent from the K/S scene. I couldn’t ask for a better gift that to see more stories from Jean. I am so glad she’s writing again!