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amulyTitle: Life is All Part II: Archival Revival: Chapter 2
Pairing: Jack/John, John/Alonso, past Jack/Ianto, past Jack/John/Ianto
Word Count: 2,699
Rating: PG-13
Summary: John fixes Jack’s vortex manipulator, hits on Alonso.
Warnings: none
A/N: Ooo I had too much fun writing John’s dialogue. Oh, and in the fic you’ll notice John mentioning the “third” time he’s met Ianto: I’m referring to my fabulous threesome fic John Joins In. If you haven’t read it and are in the mood for some filthy JackxJohnxIanto action, I recommend it (not to promote myself or anything…).
Previous Chapters:
Jack crossed his arms over his chest. The last thing he needed right now was John poking his nose into his business. Then again, he did need a Time Agent to fix his Vortex Manipulator. And he did know that John was handy with that sort of thing: much more so than he was.
First thing first: business. “What year are you?” Jack cocked an eyebrow and shifted slightly.
John smirked, but replied. After all, this sort of thing was important when dealing with time travelers. “Dunno. What are you wondering?”
It was always delicate, figuring out how much you could say and how much you couldn’t, without risking timelines. John looked pretty much the same as he had last time Jack had seen him, but that could mean anything. Two years earlier John would have looked relatively the same, and wouldn’t have met up with Jack at Torchwood, or known about his immortality yet. Two years later, and John could know all sorts of things Jack shouldn’t know – like if I can bring Ianto back. Jack had to be careful, with timelines and all. But a name shouldn’t hurt. “Have you met Ianto?”
John’s smirk widened to a full-on grin. “That cute little Welsh number? The eye-candy?”
A fire flared up within Jack, but he squelched it. This was all necessary to bring Ianto back, after all. He nodded curtly.
“Yeah, we’ve met.” The leer in John’s voice told Jack all he needed to know, but he still had to make sure.
“How many times?”
John shifted at the question. His eyes flickered over to Alonso, but he kept going. “Three times. Once with the diamond that wasn’t, once with your…um...” he hesitated.
“Grey.”
John let out a sigh. “Oh, thank Goddess you knew about that. Would have been awkward.”
“It’s still awkward.” Jack’s eyes were level as he stared down John. He squirmed a bit under Jack’s gaze, then scrambled to change the subject.
“Ah. Right. Well, and then the third time…” he winked at Alonso, tongue darting out to lick his lips. Jack noticed the uncomfortable little shift Alonso did, and the way his trousers seemed to grow a little tighter. Great. Another lover enticed by the sex appeal of one John Hart.
Jack sighed, waving a hand. “Yeah, okay. So we’re at matching timelines, then.”
“Good. Glad we got all that ‘business’ taken care of. Now we can get to the fun stuff.” Another grin and eyebrow wiggle in Alonso’s direction. “Where is his royal pompousness, anyway? And who’s this one? Not as handsome, though he does have the cute thing going, with the ears.” He gestured at Alonso’s ears, who had the good sense to look appalled and affronted.
Jack swallowed, eyes flickering over to Alonso. He took a breath. “He’s dead.”
“This one? Looks pretty alive to me…”
Jack really didn’t have time to deal with John’s shit right now. The gallivanting and carrying on was sexy a few centuries ago, but now was tired and irritating. He squared his shoulders. “Ianto’s dead.”
That gave John pause. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” The two men stared each other down for a moment. John’s eyes flickered slightly: he was genuinely concerned, Jack knew. John wasn’t a total heartless bastard – he just liked a good time, where he could find it. Well, okay, he was a heartless bastard: but still, he could care – sometimes.
“Well, I…” John started to move forward, extended a hand.
“Don’t try.” Jack moved back, avoiding the touch. To his relief, John pulled his hand away and shrugged, letting the issue drop. “Listen, I think I can get him back.”
John rolled his eyes. He started picking at his fingernails causally, though Jack recognized the gesture. It was what John did when he didn’t want to have to confront someone – a rare thing. “Jack, come on. I can’t help you steal him out of the past. Rules 23-108, you know that.”
This time it was Jack’s turn to take a step forward, invading John’s personal space. “First, when were you for rules? Second, I don’t need you to cross timelines. I’ve got a different way. All I need is for you to fix my vortex manipulator.”
“So, what, you can cross your own timeline? I’d rather live in a universe that still exists, thanks much!”
Jack sighed. John was never this tightly wound when they were Time Agents. He was always ready to do something that came close to obliterating existence: so long as they could get a good time out of it. Then again, John was probably wary of him: what he would do, what lengths he would be willing to go to in his grief. Jack gripped at John’s arm lightly. “No, listen, I’ve got it all figured out. I’ve got an antivirus with me,” he touched his chest, where the antivirus was nestled safely away in his pocket, “all I need are some nanogenes. I know where to get some, easy. I’ll have to avoid myself a little bit, but I shouldn’t run into myself.”
John hesitated, eyes flickering over to Alonso. “He told you about this plan of his?” The question was directed at Alonso.
“A…a bit.”
Jack waited as John weighed the information. He cocked his head over at Alonso. “Can I have him?”
Jack and Alonso replied simultaneously, Jack indignant, Alonso…less so:
“No!”
“Well, if you want…”
Jack and John turned as one to look at Alonso. He shrugged. “Well, he’s cute. And I still don’t like the idea of fucking you when we’re trying to bring your boyfriend back to life.”
John nodded vigorously at Jack. “He’s got a point. I think I should get him. And with him willing and all…”
Jack threw his hands up. “Fine. Do whatever you like. Can you just please fix my Vortex Manipulator?” He shoved his hands in his pockets. He didn’t care. Didn’t care about those lusty looks John and Alonso were shooting at each other. The way John’s eyes were raking down Alonso’s chest, stomach, down to his… “Damn it, you two. Could we just…”
John’s head whipped back to look at Jack. “How’s about we get a room?”
“A room?” Jack spluttered. “Could we get your mind out of your cock for a second?”
“To fix your precious Vortex Manipulator, Goddess!” John threw his hands up. “I’ll need a little while to fix it, and I’d rather not do it in some little café off the main spaceport. That alright with you?”
Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Fine, fine. We’ll get a place for you to work. Do you need any supplies?”
John held his hand out, waving Jack’s wrist to him. Jack obliged, grudgingly: taking off the wrist strap and handing it over. The back popped open, and John poked at it for a moment. “Looks like you’ve taken a sonic screwdriver to the damned thing; what’d you do to it?”
“The Doctor took a sonic screwdriver to it.”
“Ah.” John nodded, pursing his lips as he stared down at it. “Right. Well, I’ll just need a few hyperspanners and some screwdrivers…” he sighed. “No sonic tech yet, I suppose?” He handed back the wrist strap to Jack, who buckled it back on.
Jack shook his head. “Not ‘til century before yours.”
“Yeah, I know.” John pursed his lips, looking around the spaceport. Coming to a decision, he clapped his hands together. “Right, then. Jack, get me the supplies, and…” he waved in Alonso’s direction.
“Alonso,” the young man helpfully supplied.
“Right, Alonso here, will help me find a hotel room.”
Jack hesitated. It wasn’t like Alonso didn’t know what he was getting into – kid was practically drooling in anticipation – but he was still reluctant to leave John alone with him. He leaned forward into John, shoving a finger in his face. “Be good.”
“I’m always-” Jack gave him a look. “Alright. Fine.” John nodded at Alonso. “We’re just gonna have some good, clean fun. Right?”
Alonso nodded vigorously. His eagerness might have been comical, if Jack wasn’t worried for him. Jack squinted at John. “You’ll let me know where you’re staying?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just get on with it.” With one last, long look at John, Jack nodded and set off toward the shops, John and Alonso starting off in the opposite direction. They were within hearing range just long enough for Jack to hear John say, “So, how many inches-” and then the sounds of the spaceport swallowed the rest of the conversation. Jack sighed. John was…John. But at least that was consistent, unchanging. Reliable, in the most unreliable way possible.
Now, he just had to find the tools John needed. Jack knew in theory how to fix his manipulator; he just wasn’t so good with the practice. Still, that knowledge should be enough for him to grab the proper tools, or close enough.
He haggled with the shopkeepers over the price of the hyperspanner: in part to keep in practice, in part to give John and Alonso time to finish up. Alonso had been making it extremely clear that he wasn’t interested in Jack anymore. Even Jack wasn’t that dense. Best to avoid walking in on any tempting situations, in that case.
Jack glanced down at his wrist strap. Good to his word, John had sent the address of the hotel he had managed to grab. Jack made his way through the narrow streets to the hotel. It was a dingy, seedy place, only about a ten minute walk from where they had started. John hadn’t wanted to waste any time, then.
Standing in front of the door to the room, Jack listened in. Some shifting, but whatever they had done was over with, if the quiet was anything to go by. And Jack knew from past experience it wouldn’t be quiet if something was going on: John was a screamer.
As he pushed the door open, a not-altogether unpleasant sight greeted Jack. Alonso was naked and sleeping on the small bed in the corner. Sweat glistened on his back, and bite marks peppered his shoulder blades and neck. From what Jack could see of his face, he looked sated, sleeping off his exertions. John was in the middle of the room, buttoning up his jeans leisurely, smug grin on his face. His shirt was still off, and Jack allowed himself a moment to admire John’s muscles flexing beneath his skin as he moved. Looking never hurt anyone, after all.
John’s hands stopped their motion upon noticing Jack entering the room. “Want to join me for round two?” His hands reversed their direction and started unbuttoning his jeans. “Well, technically round three.”
Jack waved a hand dismissively. “Just fix the manipulator, John.” He tossed the bag of tools at him, which John caught easily. Jack then ripped off his wrist strap and tossed it at him as well.
“Okay, okay. No need to get touchy just because…” John trailed off. His eyes flickered down for a moment, then rose back up to look at Jack. “You know, I am sorry to hear about that. He was a smart kid – hot, too.” He nodded at Jack. “Seemed like he was good for you.”
“Yeah.” Jack sighed, slumping down to sit on the ground. There was only one chair, and Jack figured John should probably have it, so he could sit at the desk and work on the manipulator under the lamplight. “Too good – that was the problem.”
John slipped into the chair, dumping the tools out onto the table. He rummaged through them, picking out the hyperspanner and getting to work. After a moment of tinkering, he muttered, “Yeah, well, you were always rubbish at self-sufficiency. It’s why you never learned how to fix one of these yourself.” Another moment of silence, during which John picked up a different tool.
“Yeah, well, never had to be.” Jack grinned. “Always managed to find someone to lend a helping hand.”
John shook his head, not looking up from the manipulator. His lips pursed into a rueful grin. “Sweet Goddess, you’re terrible.”
“Yeah.” They sat in silence for another few minutes, letting the ambient noise fill the room. In the corner of the room, Alonso was snoring softly, bare leg dangling over the side of the bed, pert arse uncovered for all the world to see. The sounds of the nearby spaceport filtered in through the thin walls: people shouting, laughing, ships taking off and landing. It was funny: a lifetime ago, Jack would have called those the sounds of home. Now, home was a cup of coffee, a three-piece suit, warm blue eyes.
“Have fun with Alonso?”
John hummed lewdly. “Responsive bloke.”
“Yeah. Noticed that.”
A pause, then, “Don’t know why you treated him like such shit.”
Jack rubbed at his temples. Not what he needed right now. “John,” he growled.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. ‘Shut up and fix the manipulator.’ Keep your shirt on.” His eyes slid sideways for a moment. “Or not. Wouldn’t mind if it came off…”
Jack decided it was best not to comment. John could keep up this banter forever, and right now, Jack’s heart wasn’t into it. He just wanted the manipulator fixed, so he could move on to the next step for bringing Ianto back. Now, that was all that mattered: moving forward, getting closer to Ianto.
Above him, John continued to fiddle with the manipulator. Every few minutes he would grumble to himself, setting down one tool and picking up another; or, at times, gripping two tools and holding the manipulator steady with his forearms. Jack considered offering to help, but John seemed adept at handling the manipulator himself. The sight reminded Jack of their earlier conversation.
“You know, I managed on my own for centuries. Who’re you to say I’m rubbish at self-sufficiency?”
John didn’t even bother looking up from his task. “Yeah, you managed. You’re a social kind of guy, Jack. You can’t be happy without someone.”
Jack hummed a little. Reminded him of another immortal he knew. Is that what immortality did? Made a person need companionship, all the time? Make him forget how to live on his own? Or had he and the Doctor just always been that way - “social kind of guys”, as John had put it?
“How’d you even find me?” Jack asked, changing the subject. John shrugged one shoulder, still bent over the wrist strap.
“When we first hooked up in training, I set up a temporal alarm coded with your DNA, just to see if I could.” He paused to grip a tool in his teeth while he poked around with another. A moment later and he was setting down the one and removing the other from his teeth to put to work again. “Got the notification once, a few days ago. But you were just here for a second, and I was otherwise occupied.” One look at John’s smug grin told Jack the nature of his “occupation”. “Then I got this second notification, figured something might be up, for you to be mucking around this planet repeatedly.”
Jack considered this bit of information for a second. “So, anytime I set foot on Regis, no matter when it is, you’d get a notification?”
John nodded. He glanced down, meeting Jack’s eyes. “What?”
Jack smirked happily. “Sounds like somebody had a crush.”
“Oh, get over yourself. I did not.” One glance between the two men, and it was obvious John was lying. “Well, the point of the exercise was to test out my new tech skills, which…” John snapped the manipulator shut with a flourish, tossing it down to Jack, “come in handy, time to time.”
Jack pressed a few buttons on the manipulator: it lit up beautifully. His grin was bathed in the soft glow of a fully-functioning manipulator. “John…” Jack swallowed thickly. One step down. One step closer to bringing back Ianto. “Thank you.”
John waved a hand dismissively, leaning back in the chair. “Yeah yeah, no trouble.” He sniffed, glancing over at a stirring Alonso. “Anyway, before you head off to whenever you’re going how about we get dinner and…” he quirked an eyebrow, “threesome?”
Want more? Chapter 3 here.
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no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 04:13 am (UTC)stalk youanticipate your next update.no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 05:59 am (UTC)I've already got about a quarter to a half of the next chapter written - it shouldn't disappoint.
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Date: 2010-05-28 06:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 01:00 pm (UTC)Loved it (and looking forward to the next part)
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Date: 2010-05-29 02:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-30 10:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-30 06:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-31 12:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-31 05:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-31 08:45 pm (UTC)Anyway - I LOVE JOHN. He's awesomeness, and you portrayed him awesome. I kept thinking that Alonso was really quick to take John's offer - then again, if you are hanging out with someone who looks like Jack and won't fuck him, and them someone who looks just as hot comes around, I wouldn't be waiting either. ^_^
Can't wait until next chapter. It shall be interesting and enjoyable at the same time, I'm sure. ^_^
no subject
Date: 2010-05-31 08:53 pm (UTC)Tune in Friday for continued John awesomeness!
Side note: James Marsters is on my list of "5 guys with full permission to wreck me", so Alonso's reaction reflects what mine would be :P
no subject
Date: 2010-05-31 08:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-31 09:04 pm (UTC)I know, it is the weirdest list of sexiest men ever. Who's on yours?
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Date: 2010-05-31 09:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-31 09:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-31 09:42 pm (UTC)Jude Law is on there right now because of Dr. Watson. He was delectably sexy in that role, if I may say so myself. ^_^
Ah, Ewan. He is love. Except for that mole thing on his face. You'd think a man who was in the Star Wars franchise would be rich enough to get it removed. It annoys me, and if you saw Moulin Rouge, in some shots they digitally erased it.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-08 03:15 pm (UTC)Well done, John..... you deserve to get your "Captain" back after all that: Well done, Captain John Hart. Well done.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-08 03:32 pm (UTC)*cough*
John isn't exactly a "helping" sort of guy, neh? Unless there's something in it for him...
*whistles nonchalantly*