m_findlow | Fandomweekly Challenge 29

Title: Hard lessons
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, John Hart
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 885 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 29 - Bait and switch at fandomweekly
Summary: Some lessons can only be learned the hard way

Staring out at it from the viewport, the hull of the ship glistened like polished silver. Even from a distance it looked promising. It was his whole reason for being here. Ships like that didn't come along every day, and people who could sell them even less so.

'I hoped I might see you here,' purred the voice behind him.

Jack turned and found himself face to face with his former partner and lover. He'd always known he might cross paths with John again, but he hadn't expected it so soon. Their parting had been slightly less than amicable, but seeing him now reminded Jack just how much he'd come to love that cheeky grin and those dimples. He could almost forget all the reasons they hadn't worked out.

'I take it that's why you're here,' Jack replied, leaning against the viewport and nodding out at the ship. 'Should fetch a good price for the right buyer.'

'Indeed it might,' John replied. 'A shame there's a snag in that.'

'What's that?'

'It's a lemon. She looks good from the outside but inside she's a wreck. I'd lower my bid if I were you. Unless of course you like being swindled. Not your usual style.'

Jack chuckled, full of mirth. He'd missed their banter.

John stepped closer. 'Seeing as this thing is a bust I was almost wishing I hadn't bothered, but you being here is an excellent consolation.'

He hadn't meant to, but falling back into bed with John was exactly what he needed after so many months of travelling alone. Things just hadn't quite been the same since they'd parted ways. He'd forgotten just how tender John's touches were. No one made him feel special the way John's hands did.

When John woke the next morning, Jack was missing from their bed. He'd never been much for the awkward morning after conversation. Pulling on his filthy clothes from yesterday, he headed for the mess hall. Jack was there huddled in a small booth off by the side. Perhaps after breakfast he could convince Jack to return to their room for round two. Jack was still so young and virile, just a newbie of the Agency, only four years, excluding the five spent together inside the time loop. Life had yet to teach him all the hard lessons.

John sat down opposite him. Jack leaned over the tabletop, and John leaned in to meet him, hoping for a kiss, instead disappointed when Jack began to speak.

'You know, I was thinking last night whilst you were snoring.'

'I don't snore,' John huffed. 'Besides, you're far too pretty to be thinking.'

'Oh, really?' he replied, leaving John unsure which part of their conversation he was referring to.

Jack began tracing small circles on the table with his fingertip. 'I was thinking that I'd up my bid.'

John nearly choked on the words. 'What?'

'Well, it seems strange that we should meet here. And you've always had an eye for a good bargain.' Jack leaned in closer still, their faces almost touching. John wrapped his fingers around Jack's.

'I'm staring to wonder if you didn't tell me it was a heap of junk so that I'd lower my bid, leaving you with the better offer. So,' he said, leaning back, pulling out of John's grasp, 'I went over there this morning and told him I'd bid sixteen thousand.'

'You did what? That thing isn't worth eight. Are you made of money these days?'

'He reckons it's worth twenty.'

John shook his head. He reached out again for Jack's hand.

'Kitten, I don't know which of you is more mad. Haven't you learnt anything from our time together?'

Kitten. He'd forgotten how much he loved being called that. Not everything they'd had together had been bad. If anything, last night only reminded him of all the good things. Jack felt the warmth of John's hand around his, and doubt nagged at him. Maybe he was right; maybe John was only looking out for him. The look of worry must have shown in his expression.

'Jack, we can fix this. What if we went halves? I'll front up half of what you bid. Whatever we sell it for, we'll split the profit. You and me together, just like the old days.'

He sighed. 'I can't ask you to do that. You're probably right. I shouldn't have upped the bid.'

'Doesn't matter. I'm sure we can still find some dumb schmuck who'll pay twenty for it. You always were great at winning people over with your sexy smile. They'll throw themselves at you to pay twenty.'

Jack's timid smile was worth all the eventual heartache. No one else ever looked at him that way.

'You're one in a million, you know that?'

John grinned back. 'I do, as a matter of fact.'

Jack leant over and this time did kiss him.

When John stood up, Jack looked at him oddly. 'Where are you going? You haven't even had breakfast.'

'Thought I'd go hand over my share of the bid. Eight thousand credits in hand ought to seal the deal for us, silencing any other bids.' He turned away before Jack could give him another of those delightfully heartwarming smiles.

'John,' he called out, forcing him to turn back. John raised his eyebrows at him in askance.

'I really did miss you.'

'Me too,' he replied, leaving.

Outside he paid the vendor, or at least the guy pretending to be the vendor. He even gave him a bonus for letting Jack up his bid so high. No one needed to know that the ship was a lemon, nor that John was the real owner. He'd paid four thousand credits for it, half what it was offered at. Adding Jack's eight thousand credits, and the eventual profit, it wasn't a bad day's work.

His own pockets one hundred credits lighter, he sighed. Jack was so very young and very green.

'Oh, Kitten, still so much to learn.'

Fandomweekly Challenge 29 - Hard lessons

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