for rude_not_ginger: Seeking out a reprieve.

[quitehomoerotic]

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Jack didn't sleep. Not one wink. It was a long night of lying there with his gaze focussed steadfast on a point on the opposite wall. As the hours passed he realised he could have mapped out the knots in the wood of the panelling. But then he probably could have done that anyway.

It wasn't new for him to lie like this, and so it was easy to lose sense of time. His only guess to it being some sort of morning was when he heard the door click gently as the Doctor left. He hadn't slept either, Jack didn't think.

More time passed, or so Jack assumed. He could have quite easily have stayed there.

But it was a smell that finally roused him. Something that smelt distinctly like... burning. He ignored it at first. But the smell got worse. And Jack realised, it didn't just smell like burning, it was.

So bursting into action, Jack sprung from the bed and out of the room, along the smoke filled corridor until he reached the kitchen, so hazy he could barely see. He pulled a handle by the door (he'd just installed that two weeks ago) and a purple foam rained down from the sky, dousing a fire that originated at the far end of the room.

"Doctor? What the hell are you doing?"

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[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"What did you just do?" the Doctor cried, horrified as the purple liquid rained down from the ceiling. This was, of course, more horrifying than the oven-sized fire he was just trying unsuccessfully to put out.

"What was---when did you install that?" he demanded, stepping around and looking up at the ceiling. "I've been meaning to replace that for ages, where did you find the parts?"

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"What did I do?! What did you do! That smoke was halfway down the corridor, I could smell it from bed!"

He waved a hand in front of his face to try and clear a little of the smoke, and coughed as it got into his lungs. He could just about see the Doctor, hair flattened with the purple foam, and he had to admit, it made him want to laugh.

"What? Oh, couple of weeks ago. Little place off near Trendar Three." He looked up at the ceiling. "Looks like it works."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, well, it ruined breakfast," the Doctor said, gesturing to a pan that was, at one point, covered in some blackened-looking char and now also covered in purple foam.

"I had planned on clearing up a bit of the burning," he explained, pathetically.

He tugged on his ear and found a good bit of foam stuck there.

"I hadn't expected you to be awake yet."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack looked over to the stove and took a tentative step in that direction. He tried to make out what the blackened substance once was, but he found he couldn't come up with an answer.

"I haven't been to sleep," he said, quick and casual, brushing it off.

He looked back at him. The smoke had cleared a little more, and the Doctor looked rather pathetic in front of him, dampened down by the purple foam. He smirked a little.

"Oh look at you."

It was strange, he very nearly laughed. And, well, laughter was a rare occurrence nowadays.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," the Doctor said, though he had a bit of a smirk on his face. "I will have you know, I was cooking that all morning."

A pause.

"Granted, it was only supposed to be cooking for about five minutes."

But it was the thought that counted, wasn't it?

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"You were cooking? You? And I missed this? Once in a lifetime opportunity gone right out the window."

He laughed, looking around, quietly appraising the work of the foam and then not so quietly appreciating the way it made the Doctor look instead. As he looked at him, that almost laugh developed into something more solid, and his eyes lit up as he laughed.

"What the hell was that supposed to be, anyway?" he asked, eyeing up the congealed mess.

He looked back up at him just in time to see another dollop of foam fall from the ceiling and land unceremoniously on the Doctor's head. His laughter quickly reappeared. Well, that was until a large wet patch of it fell onto his own head.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

Jack's laughter felt good. It felt good to hear him laugh, even if it wasn't out of utter delight at the Doctor's cooking (as was the original plan). He decided that, really, losing the morning's meal to this was really worth it. He found himself grinning madly, despite everything.

The Doctor looked up from where the foam came and had another blob of foam fall right in his face. He scowled, and wiped it out of his eyes.

"Right, that about does it. I think we'll need to land somewhere for breakfast. And possibly a few days. Sand and sun?"

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack's laughter just increased as the foam fell against the Doctor's face. He obviously hadn't tightened the coils enough on the receptors that held back the foam, when installing them. But really, it was worth it.

"Yeah," he said, amused. "Yeah I think so."

He headed over to him and reached his hand out and wiped the excess foam from the Doctor's face. He licked a little from his finger.

"You know this doesn't taste half bad."

He smirked. "Finally getting that holiday then."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"My breakfast would've been better," the Doctor said with another scowl, this one entirely teasing. "But we'll definitely need to leave the TARDIS for a few days to let her air out, and let the kitchen clean itself."

The kitchen did, in fact, not have a self-cleaning system attached. The Doctor had become convinced from years of the companions taking the kitchen into their own hands that if he waited long enough, the TARDIS would clean herself.

"Sounds good to me. I've been thinking of a good place to start. How does Tiutia Minor sound to you?"

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Yeah? Well you'll just have to make it for me another time, won't you?"

Jack knew perfectly well the kitchen wouldn't clean itself. In fact the kitchen was the most recent room on his renovation agenda, so her inner working's were at the forefront of his mind. He didn't point that out though, why spoil the illusion?

After all, getting out would be good.

"Tiutia Minor," Jack repeated. "You know, I don't think I've ever been there. Sounds perfect."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"You know what?" the Doctor said, giving him a grin. "Neither have I. But I found I'd gotten a brochure. Sun-soaked sands and brilliant skies. Apparently it's an avid place for retirees. I didn't think I'd hit the point in my life where I was planning to retire, but I figure I won't be too insulted by the offer."

He ran a hand over his hair to knock out a bit of the foam, then nodded to the hallway.

"Let's get cleaned up and head out, then? Dress for warm weather. Oh, and thick shoes."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack smirked at the suggestion of retirement. Really, despite everything they went through (and perhaps because of it) it seemed utterly ridiculous. That would mean stopping, and though they might pause, they'd never stop. That just wasn't who they were.

"Yes, Sir," Jack said as they left the foamed up kitchen. With them, he knew, 'dress for warm weather' would invariably mean 'wear the same thing you always do'. Neither of them really were much for variety.

Still, the latter comment made him lift his eyebrows.

"Thick shoes?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"You'll see."

The Doctor scurried off to the closet, reemerging with his hair fixed and in his blue suit with a red t-shirt and a big pair of boots. And his trainers, just in case, tied over his shoulder.

What they needed was a break. And this, if nothing else, would be exactly that. He hoped. Part of him worried that something would go wrong because something always went wrong. They needed something to not go wrong. Just once.

"Ready?"

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack didn't take too long to get ready. His choice of clothes weren't what most people would chose for warm weather, but he was Jack Harkness; he wasn't most people. Still, he had a paler shirt and the sleeves were rolled back, and he chose on this occasion not to wear his coat, though he did have it with him, draped over his arm.

His regular shoes, luckily, had quite the thick soles as it was.

"As I'll ever be!" he said, giving the Doctor a smile. It was nice to see him looking fresh and a bit different, it reminded him he was alive.

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The Doctor grinned. There they were, two men who had been broken the night before, pieced together so they could move on. It was almost invigorating, knowing how they could bounce back. He refused to let himself think it was temporary.

"Well, then, allons-y."

He stepped over to the TARDIS and pulled the lever to open the door. Outside, the blue sun was setting over the horizon. The sky was a radiant navy, speckled with stars. Tiutia Major was setting, red and looming, in the west. But despite the nighttime, the beach was bright with light. The sand, stretching out along the edge of the water, was glowing golden with light.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack stepped out the open doors and onto the bright glowing beach. It was beautiful, truly beautiful, as the contrasting darkening sky sat against the warm glow of the sand. The sun was beautiful as it faded, and three moons were illuminated in the evening sky.

"Not bad," he said with a smile, turning his head over his shoulder to look at the Doctor. "Not bad at all."

He grinned at him and took a few more steps out onto the sand. "Come on," he called back. "Got a whole world waiting for us."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor grinned and hopped down, his boots sinking into the warm sand.

"The sand here is hollow," he said. "But instead of taking in water or other materials, it takes in heat and light from the suns. The brochure said something about it taking the edge off of arthritic pain."

He gave Jack a little smirk and shut the TARDIS door behind them. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he led the way tot he water's edge.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack couldn't help but laugh. He shot him a short glance, the corner of his eyes creased with amusement.

"Good for these old bones then," he said, following him up towards the water as it lapped gently back and forth against the sand.

"You know much as this place might be full of olds," he said. "We've probably got more years on us than all of them put together."

He looked at the water and at the almost luminous blue sheen that seemed to form at its edge.

"Well Doctor, I've got to say, you've surpassed yourself this time. This place is stunning."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I did pretty good, I think," the Doctor agreed, obviously quite pleased with himself. He turned away from the horizon to watch Jack's face as he looked out. That was the best part of traveling. It was never just the places and the people and the wonders he'd seen; it was watching his companions experience it, too. And no matter the truth, that they both had many, many years on the rest of the people here, Jack's awe was as fulfilling as experiencing it himself.

He removed one hand from his pocket and reached over to take Jack's.

"When the sun sets, apparently there's a pink flash."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"What, if you do say so yourself?" Jack asked, still smirking in amusement. He looked at him for a moment before looking back out to the sea. It was calming, and the air was so clean it seemed to awaken him each time it filled his lungs.

There was nothing waiting here, Jack could almost feel it. It felt relaxing, and relaxed was something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Jack quietly let his fingers curl around the Doctor's hand, and he gave it a bit of a squeeze, turning his head to smile at him.

"Come on," he said, lets sit down."

He threw his coat down from his arm and laid it out on the sand, gesturing for the Doctor to sit on it with him.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor followed, stretching out his legs and letting his wide boots sit in the sand, warming his feet. He already felt like the tight knot in his chest was loosening, and they hadn't even walked away from the TARDIS yet.

"Perusia Minor," he said, pointing up at a bright dot in the sky. "Second closest planet, after the Major over there. This entire system is made up of double-orbiting planets."

He had read the brochure very thoroughly prior to picking this place, after all.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack leaned himself back on his coat, propped up on his elbows as he looked up at the star filled sky. It was always wonderful, different skies, it was one thing that never got old; looking out at stars millions of miles away; planets that were barely dots in the sky but that had so many adventures there waiting for them.

"You know they should employ you," he said, looking at him and teasing. "You ever thought of that, change of career? The Doctor, leading the way in travel and tourism."

He nudged him lightly by the shoulder and laughed, lying back on the sand. This was nice. This was really nice.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"And give up being the tourist? I think not," the Doctor said. He grinned up at the sky, then out to the horizon.

"There," he said. "I think it's about to set."

And, as the book had said, there was a brief, bright flash of pink as the light faded from the sky. Light particles bouncing off of the horizon, the Doctor knew, but there was something so simple and secret about it that it struck him as being positively magical.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"No, I didn't think so," Jack agreed. They couldn't change, couldn't stop. Couldn't be anyone more or less than who they were.

He looked over at the horizon as the Doctor pointed it out and he watched the bright flash.

"I remember hearing about things like that when I was a kid. I thought it was amazing. I used to look up at the stars and I said one day I'd go out there. But not on the mining ships. I really wanted to get out there. I wanted to explore. I wanted to visit every little dot in that Boeshane sky."

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"And you will," the Doctor said, giving him a smile. "If there's one thing you and I have, Jack, it's time. All the time in the universe to see everything."

And they would, eventually. Everything would change and grow as they did, but it would still all be there, still all be ready for them to land on and explore.

"I never thought I'd ever go," he admitted. "My breeding made that almost impossible. But it was all I ever wanted as a boy. Well, that and to drive a railroad car."