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open_flameCharacters: Liz Sherman, Jack Harkness. Mentions of Trevor Broom
Fandom: Hellboy/Torchwood
Setting: Bump in the Night Verse: Trevor Broom's Funeral
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1100
Prompt:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
100_fairytales 060:Staying with a friend in rainy weather
AN: Channeling the emo from the end of vaca with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
captain_flyboy into something contructive. And emo.
“It was raining when I met him.”
Liz almost thought she'd imagined Jack speaking. Both of them had been so silent for most of the afternoon, she'd nearly thought they'd both lost the ability to speak as they watched Trevor Broom's body finally lay to rest.
“It...was?” She had no idea how to react to that. Was it good, was it bad...was Jack just talking for the sake of talking?
Jack nodded, sending droplets of icy rain flicking down on the headstone before he spoke in a hoarse whisper again. “I didn't tell him until months later though.” Again, Liz found herself unable to figure out exactly what Jack meant by this. She knew he wasn't exactly an open book, especially when it came to anything personal. Liz took a cautious step closer to him, telling herself it was simply because the rain and thunder made it necessary to hear him, to understand him.
She was trying to understand Jack Harkness...what a joke.
“Tell him what?” She asked, surprising herself with her sudden directness.
“About the whole I can't die thing,” Jack smiled that smile that wasn't really a smile at all as he stretched his hand out, tracing his thumb slowly along the letters on the headstone.
“So...?” Liz didn't understand what the big deal was. Everybody knew Jack couldn't die, it was a big joke sometimes. He and Hellboy used to prank the new agents. Liz even used to help if she was feeling a bit mischievous, which frankly was rare. She usually stood to the side and scowled as the new agent panicked over the dead Captain, trying not to spoil the 'surprise' as they all waited for Jack to revive.
“I trusted him, he had faith in me when nobody else did and I still...” Jack stumbled on the words, something Liz had never really seen until recently, and now she was seeing it almost daily. She waited as the minutes of silence dragged on. “You still...?” She pushed gently.
“It wasn't easy for me! Why does everyone think things are so easy for me!?” Jack finally snapped. He wasn't even talking about Broom at all anymore, though no one knew what he was eluding to but people he hadn't seen in ages. Liz winced, stepping back farther than she was before. Jack yelled all the time...but...not like that, not at her. Her mouth was suddenly so dry she considered scooping up some rain water to wash the uncomfortable sensation away.
“I'm sorry...” They both spat out in a way that would have made them both laugh if things weren't like they were. If they hadn't just buried the man who'd taught them both so much. If Jack wasn't going to turn around and try and pretend it was business as usually; organizing the agents and planning the mission to find Broom's killer. If they weren't both trying to pretend that awkward conversation the night Liz exploded hadn't actually happened. If Liz wasn't still here...even though she told everyone she wouldn't stay past the weekend.
“I didn't...I didn't know how important he was...to you, I mean.” She lied as she watched the rain speckle the ever growing puddles. It was easier than meeting his eyes, easier than having to remind herself she wasn't supposed to be thinking about...Jack as much as she was. Not at Broom's funeral.
“There's only a few people in the universe who mean as much to me as he does...did...” Jack took less than a second to reduce the space between them. Liz continued to stare at the puddle, trying to focus solely on the fact that the leather of Jack's boots was slowly growing darker as he ignored the water that surrounded his feet. She finally twitched her head in the smallest of nods, unable to speak as she stayed focused on his bootlaces for what felt like an eternity.
“Liz...would you just...” Jack stopped talking when she actually squeaked as he reached both of his hands out, lifting her head up to make her look him in the eyes. She shivered, closing her eyes so tightly she saw stars. “I'm trying to tell you that...” He stopped again, unsure if those amazingly hot tears pouring out of her eyes were because of Broom or because of...something else.
He couldn't tell her, could he? He couldn't actually admit to everything he'd done to keep them safe during that year that so few but he, the Doctor and Martha remembered. He couldn't tell her everything he'd done for her to keep her safer than she'd ever realized she could possibly be given what-no, who- she was. “Liz...I...” He fought with every word, his thoughts now bouncing to another confession he just couldn't bring himself to make.
“I know! Broom was special. To all of us, I get it.” Liz said coolly without opening her eyes. She knew if she did, the first place they'd fall would be to Jack's eyes...those eyes that she would never, ever get out of her mind no matter how hard she tried. She knew from his eyes, she'd look at the rest of his face; his hair, his chin...his lips. If she looked at his lips, she'd replay all those things he'd said to her for the million and oneth time, and even though it was selfish and shallow and so very silly to be thinking about love and how unrequited it was at a time like this...she knew if she looked at him, she'd only cry harder and she'd had enough crying to last a lifetime in the past few days.
Finally, when the pain of the tears pushing on her closed eyelids was too much to bare, she opened her eyes, and for just a second, her heart skipped a beat when her caught that look on his face, that indescribable look of...was it love? Not love like he had for everyone else..but...different.
No. She'd imagined it. She had to have imagined it because...Jack told her he wasn't worth it. And he meant it...
Her voice returned just as she dropped her umbrella, reaching her now free fingers up around his wrists. There was so much to say, so many things that she was sure she knew the answer to already, so there was no point in saying anything. No reason to say anything to Jack but, “Can you let my face go, please? Your hands are freezing.”
Fandom: Hellboy/Torchwood
Setting: Bump in the Night Verse: Trevor Broom's Funeral
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1100
Prompt:
100_fairytales 060:Staying with a friend in rainy weather AN: Channeling the emo from the end of vaca with
captain_flyboy into something contructive. And emo.“It was raining when I met him.”
Liz almost thought she'd imagined Jack speaking. Both of them had been so silent for most of the afternoon, she'd nearly thought they'd both lost the ability to speak as they watched Trevor Broom's body finally lay to rest.
“It...was?” She had no idea how to react to that. Was it good, was it bad...was Jack just talking for the sake of talking?
Jack nodded, sending droplets of icy rain flicking down on the headstone before he spoke in a hoarse whisper again. “I didn't tell him until months later though.” Again, Liz found herself unable to figure out exactly what Jack meant by this. She knew he wasn't exactly an open book, especially when it came to anything personal. Liz took a cautious step closer to him, telling herself it was simply because the rain and thunder made it necessary to hear him, to understand him.
She was trying to understand Jack Harkness...what a joke.
“Tell him what?” She asked, surprising herself with her sudden directness.
“About the whole I can't die thing,” Jack smiled that smile that wasn't really a smile at all as he stretched his hand out, tracing his thumb slowly along the letters on the headstone.
“So...?” Liz didn't understand what the big deal was. Everybody knew Jack couldn't die, it was a big joke sometimes. He and Hellboy used to prank the new agents. Liz even used to help if she was feeling a bit mischievous, which frankly was rare. She usually stood to the side and scowled as the new agent panicked over the dead Captain, trying not to spoil the 'surprise' as they all waited for Jack to revive.
“I trusted him, he had faith in me when nobody else did and I still...” Jack stumbled on the words, something Liz had never really seen until recently, and now she was seeing it almost daily. She waited as the minutes of silence dragged on. “You still...?” She pushed gently.
“It wasn't easy for me! Why does everyone think things are so easy for me!?” Jack finally snapped. He wasn't even talking about Broom at all anymore, though no one knew what he was eluding to but people he hadn't seen in ages. Liz winced, stepping back farther than she was before. Jack yelled all the time...but...not like that, not at her. Her mouth was suddenly so dry she considered scooping up some rain water to wash the uncomfortable sensation away.
“I'm sorry...” They both spat out in a way that would have made them both laugh if things weren't like they were. If they hadn't just buried the man who'd taught them both so much. If Jack wasn't going to turn around and try and pretend it was business as usually; organizing the agents and planning the mission to find Broom's killer. If they weren't both trying to pretend that awkward conversation the night Liz exploded hadn't actually happened. If Liz wasn't still here...even though she told everyone she wouldn't stay past the weekend.
“I didn't...I didn't know how important he was...to you, I mean.” She lied as she watched the rain speckle the ever growing puddles. It was easier than meeting his eyes, easier than having to remind herself she wasn't supposed to be thinking about...Jack as much as she was. Not at Broom's funeral.
“There's only a few people in the universe who mean as much to me as he does...did...” Jack took less than a second to reduce the space between them. Liz continued to stare at the puddle, trying to focus solely on the fact that the leather of Jack's boots was slowly growing darker as he ignored the water that surrounded his feet. She finally twitched her head in the smallest of nods, unable to speak as she stayed focused on his bootlaces for what felt like an eternity.
“Liz...would you just...” Jack stopped talking when she actually squeaked as he reached both of his hands out, lifting her head up to make her look him in the eyes. She shivered, closing her eyes so tightly she saw stars. “I'm trying to tell you that...” He stopped again, unsure if those amazingly hot tears pouring out of her eyes were because of Broom or because of...something else.
He couldn't tell her, could he? He couldn't actually admit to everything he'd done to keep them safe during that year that so few but he, the Doctor and Martha remembered. He couldn't tell her everything he'd done for her to keep her safer than she'd ever realized she could possibly be given what-no, who- she was. “Liz...I...” He fought with every word, his thoughts now bouncing to another confession he just couldn't bring himself to make.
“I know! Broom was special. To all of us, I get it.” Liz said coolly without opening her eyes. She knew if she did, the first place they'd fall would be to Jack's eyes...those eyes that she would never, ever get out of her mind no matter how hard she tried. She knew from his eyes, she'd look at the rest of his face; his hair, his chin...his lips. If she looked at his lips, she'd replay all those things he'd said to her for the million and oneth time, and even though it was selfish and shallow and so very silly to be thinking about love and how unrequited it was at a time like this...she knew if she looked at him, she'd only cry harder and she'd had enough crying to last a lifetime in the past few days.
Finally, when the pain of the tears pushing on her closed eyelids was too much to bare, she opened her eyes, and for just a second, her heart skipped a beat when her caught that look on his face, that indescribable look of...was it love? Not love like he had for everyone else..but...different.
No. She'd imagined it. She had to have imagined it because...Jack told her he wasn't worth it. And he meant it...
Her voice returned just as she dropped her umbrella, reaching her now free fingers up around his wrists. There was so much to say, so many things that she was sure she knew the answer to already, so there was no point in saying anything. No reason to say anything to Jack but, “Can you let my face go, please? Your hands are freezing.”
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