Fic - The Day that No One Died
Title: The Day that No One Died (except for Jack)
Author: Ry (dreamsforlease / curseangel)
Rating: PG-13ish
Warnings: Character death, mild angst.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (Tenth), Captain Jack Harkness; Jack/Doctor.
Summary: Jack and the Doctor argue over details on a day that no one, despite many attempts, actually died - well, except for Jack, and therein lies the problem.
"Doc, no one died. No one."
The protest fell on deaf ears as the Time Lord shoved the papers they had been working off of roughly off of a corner of the TARDIS's console, where they had been placed a bit precariously, and now the white paper with perfect lines of black text spilled to the floor, over the grating. The small flurry of black and white did nothing to assuage the Doctor's temper.
"You would say that," he snapped, proving that he had, in fact, heard what Jack said, and had merely decided that he was wrong. It wasn't that unusual of a thing, but usually he didn't sound so offended by it.
"Because it's true," the immortal pressed, frowning at his troubled friend (lover, whatever it was they were, exactly, which seemed always to defy definition). "It was a good day."
"You died," the Doctor replied flatly, looking up from the TARDIS's controls to give Jack what could only be described as a Look (with a capital 'L'). Then the moment, as well as the eye contact, broke and the Doctor was seeing to the TARDIS's controls again, determined to get them off of this whatever-deities-forsaken rock as quickly as it was possible.
In theory, stopping the massacre on Termez was a very good idea, and promising at that. In practice, it had been a messy, violent affair which, while it ended in no (permanent) casualties on either side, left the Doctor with a bad taste in his mouth and a distinct wish never to visit the place again as long as he should live. Which was, really, a very long time to swear off an entire planet, but as far as he was concerned, it was completely necessary for his own health and sanity. Mostly sanity.
They had managed to get up to the palace before anything bad had happened, but by the time they came out again, Jack had died at least three times, one of which had been largely accidental and at least one of the others was preventing a regeneration-worthy injury to the Doctor himself. That was what had led to their present argument - well, that, and Jack's claims that the day had gone "well," and that no one had died, which the Doctor contested as, technically, Jack had died. Three times.
"I didn't stay dead," Jack replied sensibly, crossing his arms over his chest and trying very hard not to be frustrated with the other man. It would have been all too easy to cave and get mad, but the Doctor would only respond in kind, and neither of them would get anywhere. They especially wouldn't get anywhere with this between them. "Doc..."
"Don't." The soft command silenced Jack - the Doctor nearly never issued orders, not this Doctor. That he had was an indication of how deeply this bothered him. "You died, Jack. It's not a good day if you die." He was tense as a pulled bowstring, his hands on the controls unmoving for a moment. Sighing, Jack crossed the few feet of grating that separated them, his boots leaving dirty tracks on the spilled white papers, putting an arm over the Doctor's shoulders.
"It's a good day. Nobody else died," he told him, feeling some of that tension in the Time Lord dissipate at the tangible reminder that he was still not alone, leaning in to press a kiss to the Doctor's neck. "And you didn't die."
"That doesn't mean anything," the Doctor muttered, but he didn't finish the thought, perhaps realizing that he wouldn't be able to win this argument. Resigned to this fate, at least for the moment - Jack wasn't delusional enough to really believe the subject had been dropped for good.
"It was a good day, Doc," Jack told him again, with a warm smile meant only for the other man. "Now get us out of here."
Author: Ry (dreamsforlease / curseangel)
Rating: PG-13ish
Warnings: Character death, mild angst.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (Tenth), Captain Jack Harkness; Jack/Doctor.
Summary: Jack and the Doctor argue over details on a day that no one, despite many attempts, actually died - well, except for Jack, and therein lies the problem.
"Doc, no one died. No one."
The protest fell on deaf ears as the Time Lord shoved the papers they had been working off of roughly off of a corner of the TARDIS's console, where they had been placed a bit precariously, and now the white paper with perfect lines of black text spilled to the floor, over the grating. The small flurry of black and white did nothing to assuage the Doctor's temper.
"You would say that," he snapped, proving that he had, in fact, heard what Jack said, and had merely decided that he was wrong. It wasn't that unusual of a thing, but usually he didn't sound so offended by it.
"Because it's true," the immortal pressed, frowning at his troubled friend (lover, whatever it was they were, exactly, which seemed always to defy definition). "It was a good day."
"You died," the Doctor replied flatly, looking up from the TARDIS's controls to give Jack what could only be described as a Look (with a capital 'L'). Then the moment, as well as the eye contact, broke and the Doctor was seeing to the TARDIS's controls again, determined to get them off of this whatever-deities-forsaken rock as quickly as it was possible.
In theory, stopping the massacre on Termez was a very good idea, and promising at that. In practice, it had been a messy, violent affair which, while it ended in no (permanent) casualties on either side, left the Doctor with a bad taste in his mouth and a distinct wish never to visit the place again as long as he should live. Which was, really, a very long time to swear off an entire planet, but as far as he was concerned, it was completely necessary for his own health and sanity. Mostly sanity.
They had managed to get up to the palace before anything bad had happened, but by the time they came out again, Jack had died at least three times, one of which had been largely accidental and at least one of the others was preventing a regeneration-worthy injury to the Doctor himself. That was what had led to their present argument - well, that, and Jack's claims that the day had gone "well," and that no one had died, which the Doctor contested as, technically, Jack had died. Three times.
"I didn't stay dead," Jack replied sensibly, crossing his arms over his chest and trying very hard not to be frustrated with the other man. It would have been all too easy to cave and get mad, but the Doctor would only respond in kind, and neither of them would get anywhere. They especially wouldn't get anywhere with this between them. "Doc..."
"Don't." The soft command silenced Jack - the Doctor nearly never issued orders, not this Doctor. That he had was an indication of how deeply this bothered him. "You died, Jack. It's not a good day if you die." He was tense as a pulled bowstring, his hands on the controls unmoving for a moment. Sighing, Jack crossed the few feet of grating that separated them, his boots leaving dirty tracks on the spilled white papers, putting an arm over the Doctor's shoulders.
"It's a good day. Nobody else died," he told him, feeling some of that tension in the Time Lord dissipate at the tangible reminder that he was still not alone, leaning in to press a kiss to the Doctor's neck. "And you didn't die."
"That doesn't mean anything," the Doctor muttered, but he didn't finish the thought, perhaps realizing that he wouldn't be able to win this argument. Resigned to this fate, at least for the moment - Jack wasn't delusional enough to really believe the subject had been dropped for good.
"It was a good day, Doc," Jack told him again, with a warm smile meant only for the other man. "Now get us out of here."