Air

It's pretty damn anticlimactic when he finally regains consciousness, but Bones and Spock are both there staring at him like he hung the damn moon so Jim doesn't mind.

Apples

"Aaaand this is how you peel an apple in one…long…curly…strip," he demonstrates with a grin, before handing the knife to Jo-Jo.

("Jim stop giving my daughter weaponry")

Beginning

"Four years," Jim scoffs, grinning up at the man who'd later become so so important to him, "I'll do it in three."

Bugs

It isn't when the birds stopped singing—there aren't any of them left anyway—that Jim gets concerned, no it was when the insects stopped chirping in the night that he realizes that something is wrong.

Coffee

"Oh my god, I thought you people were like only good at making tea what the hell," Jim moans obscenely to a slightly offended Carol Marcus.

Dark

"I'm not afraid of the dark," he mutters petulantly to an exasperated Bones, as he strings more twinkle lights over his bed.

(The week after Bones finds out about Tarsus it never comes up again)

Despair

It's easier to be pissed at Spock and the whole damn mission than think about how in Pike's last days he was disappointed in Jim.

Doors

It's only when the turbolift breaks and Jim runs straight into the door that he sees Carol actually laugh for the first time.

Drink

The first time he meets Leonard McCoy, he thinks the man might actually be as insane as he is, but damn if the whiskey he brought isn't good.

Duty

"It's my duty as a hot guy to bang the only other hot girl here," he tells her, before offering to buy her a drink.

(Her name is Gaila and she's the best thing that's happened to him in years)

Earth

It's weird seeing his home planet after spending so so long on Tarsus IV, but when his mother wraps and arm around his shoulder and presses a kiss to his hair, all he can think about is how good it is to be home.

End

The radiation burns and Spock is crying and Jim really wishes Bones was here.

Fall

Carol punches her assailant in the face and suddenly it all goes from she's hot to oh my god she's hot.

Fire

"So on the upside, we'll probably die from smoke inhalation before the actual fire," he tells a furious Bones with manic cheerfulness.

Flexible

"I do yoga," Sulu says, deadpan, before dropping to the floor like some kind of ninja.

Flying

It's not the first time the Enterprise has had her wings clipped, but as Jim rushes toward the Kelvin pods, he realizes it might be the last.

Food

"Oh my god, it's like you Brits have never heard of spices before, what's wrong with you," Jim says before Carol whacks him.

Foot

He swears he doesn't have a weird foot kink (or fetish or whatever), but seeing Carol in those heels is the best thing that's ever happened to him.

Grave

The first time he visits George Kirk's memorial is in his second year at Starfleet; he stands in the cold, wretchedly sober, and counts the silence.

Green

As he and Chekov make their way through the lush, green forage, Jim can't help but be reminded of another planet, another time, when he and a small group of survivors were stranded with no hope of rescue.

Head

Honestly, Jim thought as the Maru Simulator ended, people should realize that he and Gaila had more to them than just a pretty face and a high libido.

Hollow

They're only four years into their mission, Carol is on lend to work on the Genesis Project, Spock is more distant than ever and Jim is so so tired.

Honor

The ambassador's daughter flutters her eyelashes at him and purrs out "it would be an honor, Captain," while Carol chokes on her drink in the background.

Hope

It isn't that time travel and parallel universes are outside the realm of possibility, it's that "old" Spock is gazing at him like he's actually worth something.

Light

Bones opens the door, flooding the closet with light, and after a brief, deliberating moment, joins Jim on the floor.

Lost

Bones is angry at him, Spock is colder than usual, Scotty quit, and Carol Marcus is turning out to be a bigger problem than he thought she would be, and Jim just wishes Pike were here.

Metal

Nyota shows him the ring, made from some alien alloy, and Jim hugs her tightly and tells her she'd better make him her maid of honor.

New

Carol's head drops onto his shoulder, and Jim doesn't have intimacy issues dammit so why is his stomach fluttering like some teenaged virgin?

Old

He knows who Lenore really is even before she boards his ship—he would recognize those blue eyes anywhere—but neither of them say anything; no use in digging up ancient history.

Peace

The screaming in his head only stops when gruff, but surprisingly gentle, Bones manhandles him into his arms.

("It's not cuddling shut up and go to sleep brat ")

Poison

Lenore's lips still taste of ash, even after all these years.

Pretty

It's only after Carol saves Bones' life that he has to remind himself that there's more to other people than just a pretty face too.

Rain

The sky doesn't even have the decency to rain, Jim thinks, as they bury Pike, but his tears later that night more than make up for it.

Regret

"Not here," Jim huffs out a laugh, pulling away before Gaila can kiss him, "I'll see you after the mission."

(The Farragut doesn't come back)

Roses

He softly stares at Carol, the morning after, tangled up in his sheets and smelling of flowers.

Secret

"What if we hacked it," Gary suggests to Gaila and Jim with a smirk, after listening to Jim rant for three hours straight about the implications of teaching cadets no-win scenarios.

Snakes

It's only when Jim stabs the man that he realizes that it's not Kodos who is the snake, no it's him.

Snow

Delta Vega is freaking cold.

Solid

They're falling falling falling until they land on the pad hard and Jim only has enough air in him to get out "okay let's never do that again."

Spring

It's been fifteen years since he's seen Tarsus IV, but this time it's covered in flowers rather than blood.

Stable

"You'll live," Bones tells him dryly after he wakes up.

Strange

Maybe he loved Gaila and perhaps he had some sort of fondness for Lenore, but it's nothing like what he feels when Carol leans across the empty space between them and presses her lips to his.

Summer

He steals the red car in a fit of rebellion and for the first time he's flying.

Taboo

Bones won't look him in the eye for a week after walking in on him and Galia, but whatever it's not Jim's fault he's a prude.

Ugly

The faded scar stretches from the base of his neck, across his back, and all the way down to his ribs, but Carol never brings attention to it save for the occasional tender press of her lips.

War

Spock may be the chessmaster, but no one gambles like Jim.

Water

Even the water on Tarsus tastes of blood.

Welcome

Winona Kirk warmly hugs Carol and shoots Jim a knowing look.

Winter

It's snowing when he offers Carol his heart via a thin silver band.

Wood

Winona Kirk slides onto a wooden barstool next to blonde cadet and offers him a smile. This is where it begins.