approach-avoidance fic
Fandom: Lost
Title: Stakes
Characters: Libby, Kate, Hurley, Jack, Sawyer
Rating: PG
Prompt: 10. Approach-avoidance
Word Count: 417
Spoilers: Season 2, 2X17: “Lockdown”
Warnings: nothing that hurts. Libby’s take on the poker game.
Disclaimer: If I’d own lost, I’d be playing with Sawyer AND badass!Jack right now. Written for fun, I borrow.
A/N: thanks to my dear friend Sue for the read-over. I still LOVE constructive criticism. ♥
(note: Approach-Avoidance = the conflict presented when two opposite but equally appealing choices are available but cannot both be obtained.)
Stakes
Hurley and Kate are intently looking down the beach, at the poker game Jack and Sawyer are playing. Libby doubts it’s only about card and having fun.
“What is going on?”
“Jack and Sawyer are finally going to beat each other up” replies Hurley, handing her the binoculars.
“Really, huh?”
As she looks more closely at the gestures and body language, she thinks it must have been an alpha male competition from the start. If the gun coup is any indication, neither wants to see the control slip very far from their grip.
“They’ve been competing from the beginning” Hurley confirms, with a pointed looks towards Kate.
She had guessed that much on her own, looking at the trio’s interactions. Kate is serious and has her arms crossed. She’s defensive, attentive to the game, as if she is afraid the pair will rise and beat each other up for real anytime now. Or she’s rooting for one over the other, but for whom, that’s not clear. Nothing is clear in Kate, especially towards those two.
It’s easy to see that Jack still has the advantage over Sawyer, who’s been losing hand after hand. The pile of fruit near Jack leaves no doubt about it.
“Seems Sawyer doesn’t have much left to lose.”
“He will try to get it all back, that’s for sure.”
Libby wonders if Kate is thinking what is going on has something to do with her. She hasn’t been here for long, but she’s pretty sure it’s not that at all, even if both men do seem to loathe seeing her with the other one.
She agrees, though. Losing to Jack doesn’t please Sawyer, especially in front of everyone. They act cool, especially him, chatting and smiling, but they are both aware of being observed. If there is one thing she saw clearly in Sawyer from day one, it’s that he’ll do his best to keep up the appearances until his last breath. Literally. He won’t show vulnerability unless it serves him. He doesn’t care if he’s hated, may even prefer it that way to keep everyone at arm’s length. But he craves to be respected.
Right now two desires drive him. Maintaining his rank as a force to be reckoned with, his pride. But even stronger is his will to hold Jack’s attention, interact with him on an equal level. Sawyer loses the hand again, Jack gets up, and it looks like he won’t get any of those things. For the moment.