neverwouldiever | Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and other Sounds

"Well, I'm not planning on enabling any of the travel settings." The Doctor took Jack's hand, holding it as he started to work on the manipulator, eyes on the screwdriver. It was a lot of easier than looking at Jack, especially with those words and the wave of guilt that came with it.

But finally he looked up, met his eyes and gave a nod. "Yeah. You can contact me with this." He turned on his heels, letting go of Jack's hand as he retreated further into the console room. "Most of the time at least."

"That's very reassuring." There was more than a subtle hint of sarcasm in his tone as he watched the Doctor sidle back. He paused. "Things have gotten bad. They may get worse. Just... promise me I'm not on my own with this, Doctor. I can't handle everything." He took a step back himself. The Doctor hadn't exactly made how he felt a secret to him, and he wanted to give him some space.

What he really wanted to do was leave without another word. Not make any more promises that might end up getting broken, not any more of these things he said that he could barely believe in anymore, even as he said them. He travelled alone these days and the thought of someone, of Jack relying on him... But too many always did, all the more people that he could let down. Again and again.

In the end he gave a nod, turning his head do took at Jack over his shoulder. "I promise." He'd somehow have to handle everything and probably watch it go wrong. "And, Jack. Take care of your heart, yeah? You only have the one."

"I've had it broken and removed before." He laughs a little and shrugs. "It's just too valuable for the universe to let me go on without one." With that, he gives the Doctor a salute and turns to take John down inside Torchwood where he could at least keep a close eye on him.

It was down into the cells with him; a place he'd been before, so at least it was somewhat familiar. Even inside the cell, Jack locked John's hands together, because one really couldn't be too sure. He sat in a chair on the other side of the glass, arms folded, and watching patiently.

Waking up in handcuffs? Not always the worst sign possible but not the best either. Usually he could tell when it was going to end well, he usually had a pleasant memory of sleeping in a bed. Not in a space ship with an annoying chattery lunatic. Being restrained for anything other than bondage was just not worth it. He liked his freedom, to move and do what he needed to do. Like put that bastard Doctor bloke down for clearly drugging him. With an annoyed sigh, he hauled himself upright the best he could, looking forward and--

Oh fuck. What a day. First he got shot at, then he met another one of Jack's ex's and now it was this. Locked up by Captain Morality. "You know, time was handcuffs meant only good things between us. Have to say though, this is a little overkill."

"Think of it as necessary precaution. Safety first for the both of us." Clearly, Jack wasn't amused or impressed by him. "Got a call a little while ago. Old friend of mine rang me up, said you might have run into a bit of trouble. Something about jamming signals and being shot."

He nodded toward him, arms still folded and still rather stiff. "Vortex Manipulator's broken, so no getting out." Best to let him know the situation. "You should thank the Doctor. He's pretty good at patching people up. Certainly earns the name."

"I think I should be pleased that you think so much of me," But, to be fair to Jack, these handcuffs would take him at the most five minutes to get out of. He'd become quite the escape artist but then he had to be quick in his line of work. The slower he was, the sooner his death would be. "I was on a job and he sent me a picture. You've seen his face, what was I going to do? Ignore it?"

He was a sucker for a pretty face. And, unfortunately, it had once again got him shot in the foot. Looking at his manipulator the best he could, he frowned in concern, wanting to try and do some kind of tech support on it. No way could it be broken! He needed that. "Thank him? The bastard's buggered up my ride. I didn't even need his help in the first place."

Jack was well aware of John's escape artist tricks, though he wasn't sure how much better he'd gotten since their time together. Mostly, they were just there to buy him time to react. "He's got a cute face, I'll give you that." Jack certainly couldn't resist it.

"Shot, remember? If you've pissed someone off and got shot for it, then you need a place to lay low for a while so you don't get septic in prison. I volunteered. Like I said, you should thank him."

"Good body too. Seemed to be going pretty well until he decided to knock me out," Which was always a hazard in his line of work. Some days it was going perfect and he'd end up unconscious or shot out of nowhere. Other days, it'd end better, where someone would needlessly and selflessly help him. What a stupid thing to do, help him. Never ended well for anyone.

"It's not that bad, it's a flesh wound," John complained as he finished wriggling his left hand free of the cuffs, openly using it to reach his leg. Like Jack would be that shocked. Pulling up his trouser leg, he inspected the wound with a small frown. All this fuss for a little bullet in the leg. "I was doing fine till he interfered. Now I'm here, in your cell, without a ride out of here and I'm probably not going to make my deadline now so I pretty much got shot for nothing. Sorry but not really feeling much thanks."

With a loud exhale, he tweaked his vortex manipulator, trying to see if it could be overrided. But his pass code only led to a loud beeping then an very obnoxious Katy Perry song.

Jack was almost disappointed to see John slip out of one of the cuffs so easily. "You're too good at that," he pouted. "I always liked seeing you restrained." He craned his neck to get a look at the wound. "I was told it was much worse. Your deadline can wait, John."

He couldn't help the little grin that came to his face when John's vortex manipulator began playing contemporary pop hits. "Yeah, sorry about that. The Doctor is pretty particular about people he likes traveling through time. And if I can't have a go, chances are he's not going to let you off so easily either." He stood up and crossed over, motioning for John to do the same. "Let me have a look at your leg."

"You want to see me in cuffs, give me a good reason to stay in them. This isn't really a good enough reason," John pointed out as he continued to fiddle with the vortex manipulator, turning off the music. If he could undo the damage done to it by that sanctimonious asshole, he could get out of here before his deadline came and he had to turn himself in. Eventually Jack was going to hand him over, it was inevitable. It was all about finding a way to escape that before it happens.

"Who is he? Time travel authority. Is that what a Time Lord is?" Cause for the love of God, there were police for time travel now? How unfair. That was the least controllable thing. Rolling his eyes, he made no move to show Jack but he honestly didn't like the fact that the Doctor had fiddled with it either. He was still convinced something had been implanted or something. He might have to open it up later, check for trackers. "Why? Concerned for me? How sweet. I feel so very special right now."

"Something like that. I mean, I thought 'Time Lord' just about said it." Jack shrugged, waiting for John to comply. Why was it that whenever he saw him, he just wanted to punch him directly in the jaw? Old habits, he supposed. "You should feel special. You're a special guy, and I wouldn't do this for just anyone. And if you're good, I'll get you some chicken soup sent down later."

He even knelt down to get on John's level, waiting for him to slide over or sit and pout like he had been. "Aren't you getting tired of this?" He asked. "Tired of jail cells, threats of execution, and running away all the time?"

"I thought he just gave himself a pompous title," John remarked with a slight sneer, giving up on his vortex manipulator and working on removing the cuffs entirely from his right hand. There was something about having them dangle loosely that left that lingering threat. Rolling his eyes, he looked up at Jack, clearly not impressed. "What? Handcuff me and lock me in a cell? Pretty sure you've done that to people before."

He wasn't stupid, he knew by now that he was pretty much nothing to Jack but some old fling. It was vastly easier to ignore the pleasantries that way. "Why would I get tired of it? It's part of the job. And I like my job. Could have done a lot worse, you know? My life's never boring like this," John pointed out, finally wrangling himself free from the handcuffs entirely, presenting them to Jack with a level of smugness. "Besides, not like they're a real deterrent."

It wasn't much of a surprise when John got out of the handcuffs and showed them off. It just reassured Jack that the cell was the better idea than where he was planning on putting him after all. "I have, but I don't usually greet them when they wake up. See? Special." He gave a cheeky little smile. He was pretty sure at this point that John wasn't going to show him his wound, so Jack sighed and relaxed against the glass instead, feeling somewhat disappointed in John. He'd find out what he needed to know in time.

"I wouldn't exactly call this boring. A bit domestic, maybe, but never boring. At least not for long. I like what I've got: people respect me, I can do what I like, I get to know secrets, I get all the best toys, and best of all, I don't have to worry about spending the rest of my life rotting in a stupid cell." There was a shift of his shoulders and his coat came off them, soon being tossed into the chair he was in a few moments ago. "Aren't you getting too old for this?"

Edited 2014-09-24 01:01 (UTC)

"So because I get a glimpse of that gorgeous face of yours, I'm special? Well, I certainly feel it," John remarked bluntly, an amused look crossing his face at that smile Jack gave him. For all that had happened between them, he did sometimes long to see that smile more. And in a better context. Like one where they were both free men doing what they wanted, unlike this whole mess of a day. Things were so much easier once.

"And you spend your day surrounded by dull little monkeys, barely evolved anywhere near our level and who wouldn't even last much longer. I mean everything you love has an expiration date. How long do you really have to be happy before you're back to wandering the universe all alone?" John shot back because if they were going to criticise each others lives then why not go for it and hit Jack where it hurts. He was the immortal one, he was the one who was going to have all that heart ache and bitterness. Not John. "The day I'm too old for this will be the day I die. When will it be the day you know you're too old?"

Jack certainly couldn't ignore John's snipe, and indeed his eyebrows did lift a little, surprised that he would use that card so soon. In fact, his little jibe earns him a slow, sarcastic clap. "Nice. Well-done. It's really warming my heart to you, John. So much sympathy coming from me." While the words did sting, and he never really needed a reminder of his eventual fate, he knew full well that the only reason he was being nasty was because his own ego was bruised. "Keep talking like that, and we'll see how soon I let you out." He was still playing warden, after all.

"Why do you think I settled down?" He said regarding John's other question. "You don't think that I know how well I could do if I started jobs like yours again? I'd be a legend. Unkillable. And yet, here I am." He shrugged. "I guess I just grew up. Grew out of it. Maybe someday, you will too."

Okay, so he'd lashed out a little but he was pretty much in a position where all he could do was verbally attack Jack. It wasn't like he could just pick up a gun and shoot him down to buy a little time, work out his escape plan and how to leave. Honestly, it wasn't fair, he was entirely weaponless, escape-free and his vortex manipulator was not essentially just a nuked piece of tech. A display model. "You're not going to let me out. Well, you will eventually but it won't be when I want to leave and it'll come with conditions. So the way I figure it, I can talk like this all I want."

If all he had to do was sit in a small cage all day with a terrible pop song on his broken vortex manipulator and Jack for company then surely it was inevitable that he was going to lash out. "I'm plenty grown. Is it really incomprehensible to you that I just happen to like the way things are for me? I'm not one of your special projects or whatever the fuck you think I am. Christ, Jack, I'm not going to change because you've given me a pep talk. It's more likely to make me want to kill you."

Knowing John the way he did, Jack was honestly not that surprised that he was starting to lash out and get nastier and nastier. He reminded Jack a bit like a trapped fox, gnashing, snarling, and swiping his paw. How long would it be before John was fit to gnaw his own leg off to get out? "Fair enough, if that's how you really feel." He watched John, a bit of a disinterested air about him, as though he were a spoiled child at the zoo. "It's not cute, though. Sorry."

John was being so nasty, and while he expected it, it didn't make it sting less. After all, he'd known this man for many, many years, and had one point even trusted him with his life. "Well, I'm sure it's coming at some point. Knowing you, I'm sure you can't wait to kill me again." Mostly, he sounded disaffected by the whole thing, almost bored. "I'm not expecting you to change right this second, John. God knows I've known you too long to expect that. And I know you're too stubborn of an ass to do something just because someone told you to. Yeah, I paid attention."

"I never wanted to kill you in the first place. You just never leave me much choice. You're so awkward these days," Yes, Jack was entirely awkward not doing what he wanted and having freewill. Seriously, how dare he? It did hurt to be so openly rejected by Jack after so long together but now Jack had all his little buddies and his noble cause, it was frustrating as hell. All he wanted to do was make Jack hurt. If he had to hurt like this then why couldn't Jack. It was only fair.

"I do what I want to do. Right now, I want to do what I was doing before your latest fling decided to get in my way," John complained, pretty sure that the Doctor had to be something important to Jack, He just felt it. And yes, he was jealous. Was that a shock to anyone? "Now what am I going to do? Totally fucked up my last job. Do you have any idea how much money I could get for half the material I recovered? Me and you could be very rich, you know?"

Jack made a face at John's suggestion that he was awkward. How was he at all awkward, he wondered. He felt content with his team, protecting an entire planet and getting to lead a team of people with similar goals. Honestly, he thinks it's kind of fun. But he can tell that John is still quite cross with him, and really isn't in the mood for calming down any time soon. Better to let him try and exhaust himself than let anyone else try to handle him.

"You know I can't let you do that, John. Not yet." He shrugged, watching him have his fit. "I don't really need to be rich. I've got everything I need taken care of, so what else could I want? I don't know where your ship is, but I'm sure it's still floating out there just fine. Maybe if you're lucky, I won't tell the authorities where it is and let you go back to it later. And here's a tip: the fussy tantrum you're pulling? Not very attractive. Makes you seem a bit like a child."

"Are you seriously telling me I've got to be all nice and flowery, maybe hit on you a little, just so I can get my ship? Now, now, that sounds dangerously close to blackmail," John mocked with an amused look because even if Jack was a noble little bastard now with the most boring taste in friends he could ever imagine, he never did quite play fair. And he was a little more liberal with his morality. So maybe, just maybe, he could get out of here by the end of the week if he played along and flirted a little.

Easily done! Actually, very easily done. Almost a pleasure. With what sounded like a put upon sigh, John sprawled out his legs a little wider than he probably needed to, his injured leg pointing in Jack's direction. Displayed the best he could at the angle he was at. See, co-operating. "You said you wanted a look, take a look. Not like we got sod all else to do, is it? Not just going to sit in here all day having you tell me about how rich in friends you are. Sounds like I'm trapped in a bloody Christmas special."

Jack raised an eyebrow at John's suggestion that he was blackmailing him. "I run a shadowy organisiation that completely ignores most laws and you think that blackmail is beneath me?" He laughed a little. "We kill people sometimes too. Think it through." But at least John was cooperating. He shifted a little to get a better look at his leg.

The Doctor seemed to have done a pretty good job in patching him up, though he had no idea how bad the damage had been before. "Friends help out. We used to be friends once, if you remember." He opened his Vortex manipulator to scan him and assess any potential permanent damage. "I helped you get away with loads of things before. You loved it."

"Yeah but you run it for the good of people and lost puppies, all that boring bollocks. You never just do these things cause you like them," John argued because if Jack liked it, surely he'd still be a Time Agent. And would be clowning around with him across the universe, hitting up bars, getting drunk and attempting to do a mission while inebriated. A winning combo for certain.

"You're not my friend, Jack. You haven't been my friend for a long time," John shot back because hey, he wasn't mad, he was under no delusions about himself. Jack had long since out grown him to a degree. And John hated it. Pulling his leg back, he offered Jack a smile that didn't really look happy but it was there because he knew it had to be there. "And you won't help me any more, will you? Look at this shit you've pulled? Nuked my tech and locked me up."

"Any reason I can't like what I do? You seem to be under the impression that it's just another boring job." He sighed, deliberately ignoring John to examine his vortex manipulator instead.

"I'm trying to help. But you're being a stubborn dick. God, you're worse than a teenager. You're a teenager who can drink and philander." Frankly, Jack was getting a little irritated with all of this. "How many more arrests is it going to take for you to get sick of it, John? Is this life you think is so great really worth dying over? All the chaos and death? How can you enjoy that so much?"

"It is just another boring job. You catch things, you kill things, you make money. Same old, same old. Where's the adventure? I mean yeah, sure, you got the eye candy and everything. And props, really, you picked a sexy bunch and all but is it worth the whole day to day work bullshit?" John asked because he just didn't get it himself, he found the whole concept so baffling. How did people function like that? Together and everything. Working productively for good reasons. It didn't compute in his head.

"You say that like I think death is something to worry about," John remarked with a frown, head tilted because seriously? Why did Jack even sound concerned? So what if he died? He had a good life. He didn't exactly chase death nor did he want to but if it happened then, well, he'd deal. "Why do you say that like I plan to die? Look, it's not my intention to get myself killed but I'd happily die for the life I have. I fucking love it. Not my fault you've got an issue with it."

Rolling his eyes, John struggled up onto his feet, it took longer than he was proud of and his legs did have much sticking power but luckily, the wall helped. "You liked that life once too, you know? Not my fault you changed your mind mid-way through and became a fucking boy scout."

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