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Okay so Kirk wasn't the best at following directions. He had to be creative sometimes. It came with the territory of leading a double life, one that made him smile at one of the world's most evil men and earn that man's trust, just so he could take him down. Some days he smiled so much that his cheeks hurt for hours after and he wanted nothing more than to shoot him.

So if he ignored Uhura's instructions on the last mission she had for him, then so be it. Better that than blow his cover out of sheer frustration and he'd take his little rebellions in any way that he could. It didn't make the reality of having to face the music that was Nyota Uhura after he returned to the States any more appealing though.

Jim sat in his car for a few moments, tapping his thumb against the steering wheel before pulling himself together and getting out of the car. Their normal meeting spot was nothing better than a storage unit rented out to his name and paid for by the government but it was private and always checked for bugs and pretty much untraceable by Nero if Jim was being watched at the moment. He carried a box of books with him, just in case he was but he didn't think that was the case right now. The last thing he'd done for Nero had gone really well.

He let himself into the storage unit, almost cautiously like he was expecting something to be thrown at his head the second it appeared. "Hello?"

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"That I feel like making chicken for dinner later," Kirk answered, which wasn't really an answer to the question, though he had been idly pondering what he was going to cook himself when they were through here. But playing stupid was charming for him and she was obviously already mad, so might as well milk that for all it was worth.

"Or maybe just a sandwich."

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't move from where she was standing with arms crossed. "Words cannot express how deeply unimpressed with you I am right now. You nearly got yourself killed and compromised the mission in the process. I'm going to ask once more, and I hope for your sake you're not going to make me repeat myself: What the hell were you thinking? The frustration and annoyance in her voice were obvious; she just hoped he couldn't pick up on the fact that she'd been endlessly worried about him.

Nearly got himself killed and ruined the mission seemed to be a very important keyword. In the way that he didn't die or compromise anything, so the this was clearly more about her than it was about him.

"I didn't think your instructions were going to work," he said simply. "Why does it matter? It turned out alright."

"Damnit, Jim. It's not your job to decide whether or not my instructions are valid. It's your job to follow my instructions." Perhaps he had a point - the mission had been a success - but she couldn't have an operative ignoring her instructions. "And it matters because this means I can't count on you to follow instructions in the future."

Jim stared at her for a moment. "I reserve the right to disregard your and the CIA's advice if I think it's going to get me killed."

Both eyebrows arched at his reply, and for a long moment she just stared at him. Finally she deflated ever so slightly, though it'd only be noticeable to someone who knew her well. Her back was still ramrod straight. "Noted, but it still puts me in a difficult position. Tell me: were you acting primarily out of self-preservation, or were you trying to complete the mission?"

"I wouldn't have completed the mission if I had died," Jim pointed out.

"That may be true, but it also doesn't answer my question," she replied dryly. It was clear she wasn't going to get any more out of him on the subject of his insubordination. Not right now, anyway. "Are there any other complications in the completion of your mission that I should be aware of?"

"No." He shook his head a little. "Though Nero praised me for my creative thinking."

That earned him the barest hint of a smile. If Nyota was the type to give praise, she'd be praising him now. "Do you think you've earned his trust?"

It wouldn't hurt to give him a little praise. Jim had asked for this mission, to infiltrate Nero's organization to take him down but the CIA could still give him a pay to the head every once in a while, inspire his loyalties and all that.

"I don't think I'll ever fully earn his trust, he's not that kind of man. But he's sending me to Moscow next week, for something he wouldn't tell Ayel about."

Unfortunately, that wasn't Nyota's way. She had exceedingly high expectations for the operatives under her command, expectations only exceeded by those she had for herself.

The news about Moscow, however, elicited a minute nod. They'd long suspected that Nero's operations in Moscow were far more extensive than any prior evidence indicated. "Good," she said simply. "You have absolutely no reason to suspect you've been made, correct?" It was always a concern that Nero would discover Jim's true identity, but she sincerely doubted Jim would still be walking around if he had. Instead, he'd probably be in a torture chamber, if he was even still alive. It wasn't a possibility she liked to dwell on.

"Guess we'll find out," Jim answered, trying to seem as unaffected by the idea of being captured and tortured by Nero as possible but even then, it wasn't like someone could fake that completely. Not with a man like Nero's reputation.

"If he had, you probably wouldn't be standing here with me," he replied. It was a fair assessment, and perhaps her way of reassuring him, though he could never be too careful. "If Nero wants you in Moscow, then following his orders needs to be your priority for now."

Unless Moscow was an excuse to torture and kill him.

"You gonna follow me there?"

"Do you really think I'd let you fly off to Moscow without me?" There was no way in hell she wouldn't be keeping an eye on him, and she wanted to be nearby in case things went wrong.

"Maybe I just hoped for it," Jim answered with a smug smile. "I'm warning you in advance I'm going to ignore you there again too."

Her eyes narrowed; she wanted to reprimand him further or take him off the case, but he wouldn't listen anyway and she wasn't about to ruin all the progress he'd made. "You act as if you've never needed an extraction before, and I understand that some decisions need to be made in the field, but I expect you to take my instructions into account. It'd be foolish of you not to." It was as much of a concession as she was willing to make.

"I know, but you're going to be just as blind out there as I am," Jim said quietly.

"Maybe, but we'll have satellite surveillance, and anything else I can set up that won't put you at risk," she replied, equally subdued. "...This mission is of course not compulsory."

Jim looked at her curiously for a moment. Nero had killed his father, had been the real reason Jim had done anything with the CIA if you wanted to get technical about it. There was no way that he could walk from this. "Yeah, it is."

A small, sad smile curved the corners of her lips. "Let me clarify: the CIA's official position is that the mission is not compulsory. I know that the only way to stop you from going would be to lock you up, and even that might not work."

"You guys have shit prisons sometimes," Jim answered, giving her his own small smile. "We really need to work on that."

"We could certainly learn a few things from the Chinese," she mused. "But luckily for you prison management isn't my responsibility."

"Maybe when this is done we need to reassign you because you would be really good at that."

"You probably don't mean that as a compliment, but that's how I choose to interpret it anyway. I would be really good at it. You could even help me test out possible security loopholes... if I ever left covert ops, but I don't think that's going to happen." She had her reasons for staying.

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