[for greg]

[more_flexible]

That morning, at the clothes box, Jack had met Buffy. He'd been here more than a year and so had she, but what was amazing was that in the past seven months (almost to the day) he hadn't ever even seen her. Sure, he'd wondered, he'd thought about that name...dreamed about that name on the lips of a raving madman. That name along with ropes and blades and smothering darkness.

He'd just thought he was handling it better.

He'd collected enough shellfish for he and Greg and threw together a quick lunch after he'd left the basement. If he could keep busy, he could keep from thinking about it. From thinking about her. She barely came up to his chest and she was so pretty and young and if she'd been bound and there had been...no. He couldn't keep doing this to himself. He'd done what he had to do to stay alive, and he'd done all he could to keep people like Buffy safe. He tried not to think about Maladicta being hit, tried not to think about how he'd failed to just keep the man there with him. He just needed to stop thinking about it.

Except he couldn't. It was on his mind the whole way to the treehouse.

Comments

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Hmm? Nothing," he said dismissively, stepping aside and turning, looking at the ground. "I have fried clams, but their cold now. And some bread and stuff. It's not much," he continued just to distract Greg as he got on his knees and started to unpack the bag.

[misanthrope_md]

"I'm sure it's great. Sorry I didn't get any wine, couldn't find what's-his-name and there wasn't any in the kitchen."

House put the keys to the motorcycle in his pocket and lowered himself onto the ground, sitting cross-legged.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"That's okay. I brought a bottle of water just in case," he shrugged, eyes fixed on the contents of the bag. Clams, bread, butter, oysters, mussels, a few scallops that smelled strongly of garlic, water, a papaya, some coconut oil, and in the bottom was a towel.

The stuff got Jack's full, undivided attention...far more than it deserved.

[misanthrope_md]

"It smells good," said House. "... garlic."

It just figured that he'd been in a rare good mood and Jack would be... not. Assuming that Jack was still upset about their small fight the day before, House didn't say anything, just hoped it would blow over.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Thanks," he replied, looking up with a shy smile. He knew he was being a jackass...he was waiting for House to call him on it. "I'm not the best cook," he shrugged. "But Abby likes my coffee."

[misanthrope_md]

"The coffee in there usually tastes like ass," said House. "Cameron might have been a pain in mine, but at least she made good coffee."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Some guy asked me if it was some kind of acid," Jack smirked. "I just made it the way I like," he added, passing House the bowl of scallops. "You want to start with these?"

Please, please don't notice. Just...let it go.

[misanthrope_md]

"Sure." House popped one into his mouth. "Hey, thanks for... you know. Suggesting this. It's good to get away."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," he agreed, almost sighing the word. "Been thinking about it for a while."

The getting away, not the date thing...not that Greg needed to know.

[misanthrope_md]

"It's almost romantic, hmmm? Not that I'm such a great judge of that sort of thing. My idea of romance was an extra pizza topping."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"You do okay. When you want to," Jack replied, taking a couple clams for himself. They were cold, but still crunchy, so that was good. "We could make pizza, I think."

[misanthrope_md]

"It wouldn't be the same," House sighed. "God I miss sitting on my couch with a beer and a pizza and watching wrestling."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"I miss smoking cigars and drinking good cognac in London," he offered, shrugging a little. "Make due with what we've got, I guess..."

[misanthrope_md]

"Is this where I say something like, what we've got is each other? Because I could say that, but it would probably sound pretty stupid coming from me."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. Then you break into a Sonny and Cher tune and I go running for my life," he snorted.

[misanthrope_md]

"Then can I just call you baby and woo you with my pretty blue eyes?" House smirked and reached out to run his fingers through Jack's hair.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack closed his eyes and it took every ounce of control to keep calm. To keep his breathing steady. "Yeah...could do that," he whispered. It was the only way his voice would stay even.

[misanthrope_md]

House smiled, mistaking Jack's body language as... well, the usual. He put down the clam shell he was holding and leaned into Jack, lips brushing across his ear. "We've got an awful lot of privacy here, baby."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." His heart was racing and it was getting harder to breathe, but he leaned into the touch hard.

[misanthrope_md]

House slid his hand onto Jack's shoulder, pushing the collar of his shirt down so that his palm hit bare skin. "Remember that time on the beach?" he murmured. "Well, in the water... on the beach... against a tree..."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack clenched his teeth, eyes closing tighter as he tried to call up that memory instead of what was racing through his mind with the hand so close to his throat. "Uh...huh..."

[misanthrope_md]

"I didn't mean to interrupt dinner," House continued, teeth tugging lightly on Jack's earlobe. "We can finish first if you'd rather, or skip to... dessert..." His tone was a little playful, tinged with lust.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

There wasn't any turning back, and the tone actually did hit him like usual. He took a second to kick himself, then reached up to hold Greg's arms, pulling him closer. "Christ...just do it," he choked out.

[misanthrope_md]

House slid his hand onto Jack's thigh, pushing up between his legs. "Do what?"

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack whimpered, spreading his legs and digging his nails into Greg's arms. "Greg, I..." he gasped, biting back the urge to twist away.