for house

[more_flexible]

One good punch was all it took. When Jack woke up, the guy was gone and so was the mask. He got to his feet and brushed off the dirt and jungle detritus from his tux. His mouth fucking hurt...one hell of an arm on that guy. Jack turned away from the party and headed back to the compound. Clinic and then clothing box for another mask, that was all he needed. Then he could go to the ball and get blind, stinking drunk and figure out what he was going to do next with his life.

He pushed open the clinic doors and looked around. If it was empty, if the whole staff was at the party, he could use the nanos and get out before anyone noticed.

Except there was House.

Perfect.

Make that blind, stinking, comatose drunk.

Comments

[misanthrope_md]

It wasn't as if House was going to go to the party. He'd vaguely considered it if only to keep an eye on Roger, but there were going to be so many doctors there that if they couldn't save him it was probably just his time to go.

And of course, of all people to come stumbling into the clinic during the festivities, it had to be Jack.

"I see you've been your charming self," House commented dryly upon seeing the beginnings of a black eye.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Would you believe me if I said this time wasn't my fault at all?" he asked as he headed for the nanobots. The less House had to actually do, the faster he could get out of here. "Someone hit me and stole my mask."

[misanthrope_md]

"And you didn't put up a fight?" House made no move to help him; Jack seemed pretty intent on handling things himself. "Maybe you should leave the nanos for now and just go back to the costume party. You could go as a wimp."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"I'd need a cane to complete that look," he shot back. Jack gave him a dark look before he opened the tube and let the Chula invention take care of the spreading bruise. It took seconds and then they returned to their him and Jack put the tube back.

[misanthrope_md]

"Oh, please." House was unfazed. "I'm not the one who likes to be spanked."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"If only you'd been that flexible," Jack said, rubbing his jaw to double check that it was all better.

[misanthrope_md]

"Don't even try that on me. I've got a lifetime's worth of hearing you beg tucked away in my head."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Keeps you warm at night, I'm sure. Not like anyone else is...you know what, could we not do this right now? I'll make an appointment and come fight with you some other day, okay?"

[misanthrope_md]

House started to shoot back another retort, but then realized that Jack was serious about his initial insult.

House laughed. "Now, that figures. So you're the only one on the island who isn't privy to the details of my sex life. I've got to hand it to the Doctor, I didn't think he could actually keep his mouth shut."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack's stomach turned slowly and he looked away. It wasn't Mark, that much he knew. Anything more and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"You're fucking the Doctor?" he asked weakly.

[misanthrope_md]

That actually made House scowl.

"That's right, Jack," he said irritably, "I've done a complete 180 since we broke up and decided that I have no problem with adultery. Jesus."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack rolled his shoulder in a slow shrug and kept his back to House. "If it's not him, then there's no reason I should know. I...hope you're happy."

[misanthrope_md]

For once, House actually just told the truth.

"As happy as I ever am."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

He looked over his shoulder and nodded once. "Good. Maybe it'll stay that way for a while for you."

[misanthrope_md]

House just shrugged. He wasn't in the mood for fighting; it seemed that for once he and Jack agreed on something - that Jack should get out of there as quickly as possible.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Of all the people he'd tried to keep clear of John, House had been the easiest. He hadn't been that hard to deceive, which kind of made Jack wonder if all their time together had meant anything. That House could and did believe the worst of him from just a few carefully chosen words and completely heartless actions hurt as much as anything.

Jack sighed softly and walked out. There wasn't anything he could say or do to fix what he'd so efficiently broken. He'd stuck it in and broken it off, twisting a little in the process. John was gone, he'd really fucked things up with Logan, and he and House couldn't even be friends.

"I'm gonna go get drunk," he muttered, walking out of the clinic and letting the door bang shut behind him.