Work Text:
Buy you a Drink?
"And where have you been, lad?" Jack grinned at the Doctor as he joined him at one of the stalls that sold spare parts for everything. "Why, did you miss me?"
"Don't be stupid." Although his voice was gruff, the hand that squeezed his neck affectionately belied his words. "Can't just let you wander off though, someone might try to buy you."
A chuckle fell from Jack's lips. "Is that your way of telling me that I look extremely hot or that I look like a prostitute?"
Jack couldn't hold back his smirk when the Doctor turned his head towards him, and away from the assortment of temporal circuits. His eyes roamed over Jack's body, taking him in - from the tight, dark leather pants over his form-fitting white shirt and to his short leather jacket. He didn't say anything before he turned back to the selection of spare parts the stall had to offer, but Jack didn't miss the faint blush that coloured the Doctor's cheeks.
Jack had chosen well when he had decided on what to wear for his outing with the Doctor. After all, it wasn't often that he got to spend so much time alone with the Time Lord. Usually, Rose was with them and while Jack loved her deeply and valued her friendship, it was nice to have the Doctor all to himself for a change. And seeing as it had been Rose's idea that the two of them spent a day together while she visited her Mum, she understood the sentiment. It was more than simply understanding Jack's need, to have some time alone with the Doctor. She had been the one to suggest the white shirt because it brought out his well-muscled torso. And his nipples as well, Jack thought with a grin when he caught the Doctor checking him out again and noticed how his eyes lingering on his chest, for a long moment.
"You look perfectly acceptable... for a human." The Doctor gave an embarrassed cough and turned back to inspect the same circuit for the countless time. Jack would be damned if he let the Doctor get away with such meagre praise. Thankfully, he still had an ace up his sleeve.
"I bought you something."
"Oh?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow at him in curiosity.
"Yep," Jack pulled an anti-leakage mug out of the bag he had brought with him. "They call it Tasty Clouds," Jack informed the Doctor when he didn't react to the light blue drink that was held out to him. "It tastes like bananas." Still no visible reaction from the Doctor whose unreadable expression was fixed on Jack.
"I thought you would enjoy it." Jack covered his growing nervousness with a playful smile. "And it was the perfect opportunity to finally buy you a drink."
The Doctor blinked slowly at him and still didn't make a move to accept the drink from Jack. "And why would you want to do that?"
Jack opened his mouth to reply but closed it again with a snap when he couldn't think of anything to say. Here, he had thought that the Doctor had been serious about his flirting with Jack when it looked like the opposite now. Fool, he scolded himself while the Doctor's unreadable gaze remained fixed on him. He should have known better than to believe that someone like the Doctor - a Time Lord - would ever be interested in him. Of course, it had all been just a bit of harmless fun for the Doctor. It probably hadn't even crossed his mind that Jack would take him up on his offer to buy him a drink. He was an idiot who had confused harmless banter with serious interest. An absolute rookie mistake that Jack would have laughed about in any other circumstances. As it was, he didn't feel like laughing at all.
"No reason." Jack shrugged and plastered an especially bright smile onto his face. "Just thought you would be thirsty. Do you need my help looking for spare parts?"
"No, I can manage on my own, but..."
"Great," Jack interrupted the Doctor before he could finish, "I'll just look around a bit on my own then. See ya!"
He had barely taken two steps away from the stall when the Doctor's voice called after him. "Jack!"
He glanced back over his shoulder but didn't dare meet the Doctor's eyes for fear of revealing too much of his own feelings. "Yeah?"
A complicated expression passed over the Doctor's features and for the second before he opened his mouth, Jack believed that the Doctor would call him back. He was a fool. "Be back at the TARDIS in four hours."
Jack gave a mock salute and then hurried away as fast as he dared without having it look like he was fleeing. He threw the mug with the drink into the first rubbish bin he came across. So much for his time alone with the Doctor.
OOO
The first of the two suns was setting in the North when Jack hurried back towards the TARDIS. He had considered staying out for more than four hours just to spite the Doctor, but after walking around aimlessly for an hour, he had decided against it. There was no doubt in his mind that the Doctor would wait for him instead of taking off without him, but Jack didn't want to initiate a confrontation with the Time Lord. He didn't trust himself not to blurt out just how disappointed and hurt he was by the Doctor's rejection. Pity was the last thing he wanted to see directed at him.
The TARDIS welcomed him with a gentle hum when Jack opened the door with his key and stepped inside. "Took you long enough, your shopping trip."
Jack glanced at the Doctor who stood with crossed arms by the console. "Lots of goods to check out."
He hoped that was the end of their conversation for now because he only wanted to hide away in his room for a couple of hours to bury his hope of getting anywhere with the Doctor. Only a couple of hours to lick his wounds and he would be able to pretend that he was fine. Given enough time, Jack knew it would even be true. This wasn't the first rejection he had received. Never mind that it had never hurt so badly before. He would get over it, though.
"Found something then?" Jack stopped halfway on his way through the console room and glanced sideways at the Doctor. Typical that he wanted to talk, instead of busying himself by tinkering with the TARDIS, now, of all times.
"Earrings for Rose." At least she should get something nice after she had passed upon the trip to give Jack a chance to make a move on the Doctor.
"Nothing else? Thought you would find some nice gadgets." One eyebrow rose sceptically.
"No, nothing." Jack forced his lips up into a smile. "Look Doc, I could really do with a shower and..."
"What's wrong, lad?"
"Nothing," Jack was fast to reassure the Doctor. Much too fast to be convincing, judging from the Doctor's disbelieving frown as he crossed the distance between them.
"Something's bothering you, lad. Even an old alien like me can see that." Jack could have smiled through the worried words of the Doctor and even about being called lad, but when a cool hand squeezed his shoulder affectionately, his expression shuttered.
"It's nothing," Jack tried nonetheless and shrugged the Doctor's hand off. "I am a fool, that's all."
The Doctor's lips quirked up at that, but the look in his eyes remained worried. "No arguments from me there, but how did you come to that conclusion?"
Jack barked out a bitter laugh. Either the Doctor was a great actor or he truly didn't have the first clue how effectively he had shown Jack his place. He wasn't sure which option he preferred. "I believed that you were interested."
"Interested?"
"Yes, interested in me. Look, Doctor," Jack ran a hand through his hair and glanced away from the Doctor at the same time. "I get it. You aren't interested in me. That's fine. I'm a big boy, but... just give me some time alone, okay?" There, that should be enough for the Doctor to understand what was going on and to prevent him from worrying. Jack would be fine and as soon as Rose was back with them, they could go back to the way it had always been on the TARDIS with the three of them.
"What gave you the idea that I'm not interested in you?" If it hadn't been for the honest confusion in the Doctor's voice, Jack would have ignored the question and continued on his way to his room.
As it was, he dared glance up at the Doctor from underneath his eyelashes. "I bought you a drink and you didn't even know what to do with it."
A puzzled look crossed the Doctor's face. "What is it with your obsession with buying me a drink? And how does my refusal to drink it, translate to me not being interested in you?"
Jack blinked. Was the Doctor serious? "You told me - before the business with the Slitheen in Cardiff - that I had to buy you a drink before I could hope to get anything as Rose had with Mickey."
For a second the Doctor looked startled before he erupted into laughter. Something twisted painfully inside Jack at the sound. "Happy to be a source of such amusement to you," he snapped and planned to make his final, dramatic exit this time. Again, he was halted by a hand clasping his upper arm.
"What?" Jack whirled around with a snarl which turned into a gasp when cool lips claimed his in a hard and passionate kiss. It took him by such a surprise that, for the first few seconds he could only hold onto the Doctor as he was drawn against his body and kissed to within an inch of his life. As soon as his mind caught up with what was happening, Jack found it all too easy to return the kiss with just as much passion. He didn't know what had brought this on, but he certainly wasn't about to complain. If this was his only chance to kiss the Doctor, he wasn't going to miss it.
When they finally broke apart to allow Jack to gasp for air, the Doctor kept one arm around his back but squeezed his neck with his free hand. "Stupid apes, taking everything literally."
"What do you mean?" Jack was proud of how steady his voice sounded while his heart was hammering away in its ribcage. Hope had started blooming in his chest when the Doctor had first kissed him and it was growing with every second that he was allowed to remain in the Time Lord's embrace.
"The thing about buying me a drink." The Doctor rolled his eyes at him but ruffled his hair affectionately at the same time. "Was just joking, me. Don't need a drink. There was only ever one thing you needed doing if you wanted me."
Jack licked his suddenly dry lips. "Which is?"
"Ask, you silly ape." The Doctor placed a hard kiss on Jack's lips. "Simply as that."
"Oh." Dumbfounded Jack blinked up at the Doctor before his lips split up into a huge grin. "In that case," he stepped out of the Doctor's arms and bowed to him, like a Victorian gentleman to a lady, "may I have the pleasure of the next dance?"
"As many as you like, lad."
There wasn't any scuffle about who was going to lead. They fell in an easy and natural rhythm when the first notes of music sounded through the console room. Jack sent a silent thank you to the TARDIS as they swayed together to the slow music.
"May I have a kiss?" Jack whispered close to the Doctor's ear.
"You told me to ask," he added just as quiet when the Doctor raised an eyebrow at the question.
"Cheeky," the Doctor remarked and kissed him.
No more words were spoken for a long time as Jack and the Doctor lost themselves in the music and each other.