The Temper

Fanfiction
Title:	The Temper
Author(s):	Natasha Solten
Date(s):	1993
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:	online at AO3
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The Temper is a K/S story by Natasha Solten.

It was published in the print zine Naked Times #30.

Summary

"Spockʼs temper worsens the longer he and Kirk are apart, until Kirk finally realizes that he needs to try to reestablish their relationship."

Author's Notes

At AO3:

I cannot, for the life of me, remember when I wrote this story. Since Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country played in theatres in 1991, I know it was some time in the '90s. I rediscovered this story, one of hundreds of stories and poems I've written in this universe, and decided to post it here. The reason I don't have more Star Trek K/S fanfic on this archive is because they all exist in dozens and dozens of fanzines in hard copy only. None of them are on disk. I'd have to retype (or scan) them all and I'm too busy writing new stuff, both original and fanfic, to do that.

Reactions and Reviews

The beginning of this story has a scene that I just LOVED! Kirk and McCoy are at a game table playing something called "fuzzball". It's very cleverly woven into their conversation and the game is never explained. But, when they want to stop playing: "The team members heard that and started hopping up and down. "No. No. Don't turn us off. We'll do better. We want to live! We want to live!" I keep rereading that and laughing! What a hilarious image!

This is an older Kirk and Spock, sometime after ST VI, and Kirk confronts Spock about the Vulcan's anger. A gentle, nice story with a very good feel of the relationship. Good tie-ins with the movie - I always enjoy that.

This is a well-written post ST VI tale with a wonderfully original take of Kkk and Spock. Spock is showing signs of temper, which concerns McCoy, but which Spock wiH not speak about. The major symptom- Spock's colorfully metaphoric language-was an imaginative, incisive, believable extrapolation of the Spock of the film series, who does indeed seem to swear a lot. We soon learn the probable cause of Spock's distress: he and Kirk are estranged lovers. Kirk's solution is great. The two not only stay in character the whole time, but also manage to tie up many of the loose ends of The Undiscovered Country. I found the story quite believable, funny, and moving at the same time. And the sex scene is both erotic and sweet. The author offers new insights into the movie characters here, and I was thoroughly charmed by them.

A couple of other things. McCoy is perfectly in character; I could just see him there, with his craggy face and gruff advice. And I loved the game of "fuzzball" Kirk and McCoy are playing as the story opens. The game seems to be an animated version of the bar game "foosball," with "players" who beg not to be turned off! It's an original,entertaining touch.

Finally, Spock's comment about the bunks in the very last scene was inspired! I was in stitches. I could just see the Spock of the later movies doing that. It's a funny, touching image that stayed with me long after reading the story.

I really loved this story. It takes place right after STVI; an excellent view of many elements of the movie. Since this is still rather new material (or it was when I read the story) there is a very special freshness to this story. Not only freshness, though - we get a lot of that in K/S - but our own look at new, "official" material. I also liked all the other segments tying into the other movies.

The temper refers to Spock's. The relationship has been strained since the incident with Sybok; they had stopped living together. Spock was working with the Klingons even then, and Kirk feels in this story very betrayed. Great conversation, when Kirk and Spock are finally trying to come back together. Kirk tries to get Spock to admit to his anger, and will accept that he, Kirk, deserves to be the brunt of it. Really fine expressive language, their making up, rekindling passion. Very deep and sensual.

But then the sex. while pleasingly explicit, was not totally satisfying. Kind of: they did this, then that, then this, then that." Maybe with a little more expression of the feelings behind the moves it wouldn't have felt such a straight narrative.

Many things I really liked: "Kirk's first law of Star Trekking'" And a lovely portrait of McCoy as he is "now" (post STVI), especially as seen