OTA

[im_torchwood]

Jack had a very bad habit of letting his guard down. He loved hard and loved well, but in all his long years he was aware that love was brief. Here and there love had lasted for years. Angelo. His wife. Logan. In between there were others, loves great and small. And when love came, even though he knew better, Jack would let his guard down.

Life with Torchwood was all too often painful, bloody, and short. People came and went, but no one retired. No. No one got out so easily.

And the newest, freshest wound was Val. It had all been going so well. Jack's knowledge of tech and Val's understanding of magic had furthered the research into the portal. They were nowhere near being able to pinpoint a time or location, but they'd gotten one to hold steady for a while. It was promising.

Until it all went to hell.

Val went missing right before Jack's eyes. He'd tried desperately to undo what they'd done, but after a while even Jack had to admit he was lost. Gone.

And so Jack threw himself into work. There was no point in drinking- he never got drunk. There was no thirst for companionship- that was just hollow. But work was always there. Work to be done. Aliens to track. Tech to catalogue. A world to keep safe. Jack jumped right back into it and let the satisfaction he found in duty mask the pain of a broken heart.

Tonight he had just confiscated a crate of 'antiquities' and they were loaded in the back of the SUV. He'd let the sellers go since they were just humans who hadn't the first clue about what they were trying to sell. Jack locked the rig up and looked around, trying to decide if he ought to get a bite. He really hadn't been hungry, not since Val vanished, but he knew he needed to eat. He'd died of starvation before and it was a hell of a way to go.

(OTA find him anywhere in London or the outlying towns if you prefer. Jack needs new friends, and old faces will be welcome too!)

Comments

[im_torchwood]

"I can't let them go until they're all catalogued," Jack replied. "I have some on portals, some on rituals that can cut through time and space. One talks about dimensions. And the rest I haven't read at all," he explained, comfortable enough with Felix to not shy away from the truth of what Val's books contained.

[harrowgate]

The fact that Cabalines did not strictly believe in such things rose up sharply in Felix's mind... but he had seen the proof that they never bothered to look for. He'd traveled across dimensions, hadn't he? Quickly, Felix stole another bite so that he wouldn't answer too quickly, or appear too eager. After a moment, Felix said, "I should love to study your collection sometime. Fascinating. It's scholarly work, is it? Not the sort of thing you pick up in paperback at a shop that sells too much incense."

[im_torchwood]

"No, definitely not that. It actually belonged to a very good friend of mine, but he's gone and so I've come into these books. He was a much more adept scholar about this sort of thing. My interest lies more in science and lore."

He took a bite of the new roll and thought for a moment. When he swallowed, Jack leaned forward.

"Want to come back to my place and I'll show you what I've got?"

[harrowgate]

Well, this had been somewhat simpler than Felix expected, but he smiled beautifully at Jack's offer. There was a warning, however, in the words very good friend. Felix could hear it, and he knew he could trip over it and bring this new friendship crashing down very quickly. "I would love nothing better. But don't let me rush you, darling, we ought to enjoy this lunch to its fullest."

[im_torchwood]

"Oh, I intend to," Jack chuckled. He took another roll and wore a cheeky grin as he reached across Felix, leaning in very close, to steal a bit of his wasabi sauce.

Jack had an air about him. Part of it was his fifty-first century pheromones, but another part of it was the compelling scent of life. It made him utterly magnetic and there were times, despite his better angels, Jack used it to his advantage. Mortals didn't even notice, really. They just knew Jack smelled good.

[harrowgate]

As they ate, Felix seemed to be leaning nearer and nearer Jack, perhaps without even fully realizing it. When Jack playfully dipped into his little bowl of soy, Felix caught the hint of a scent he couldn't begin to describe. He found himself wanting to lean in and steal a taste of Jack's skin... and that was quite unlike him, in a public place. If it was the plum wine making him feel a little bit heady, then Felix wanted more. He refilled his glass, and Jack's, and leaned just a touch closer. "Shall I call a car for us, dear Captain? Or do you have a more private mode of conveyance?"

[im_torchwood]

"I've got my rig parked out there, not far from where we met," he replied. He reached over and laid a firm, benevolent hand on Felix's back. "I like to drive. Even in London traffic. I've never been one to let anyone else do it for me."

[harrowgate]

Felix smiled over his small glass of plum wine, letting it sweeten his tongue before he answered. He did like a man with a firm hand, someone who knew what he wanted. Particularly if what he wanted was Felix.

"Then you're the one behind the wheel, darling," Felix murmured. "I'm at your mercy."