Lost fic: Common Ground
Title: Common Ground
Word Count: 999
Pairing: Several mentioned, Jack/Sawyer implied
Rating: PG (wot, no filth?)
Beta: The irrepressible kaige68, who knows a thing or two about Muppets (not that they are in this fic. Just 'cause).
Author's Notes: The boys were talking in my head, and would they be nice and follow a prompt from the lostsquee hiatus? Oh no, they had to go off on their own tangent. But I managed to rein them into under 1000 words... eventually! So now it's okay to post in lostquickfics. Woo!
Special Note: For kitty_trio, because she's been ill and probably needs something quick and easy! *smooches*, babe!
Spoilers: Vague spoilers to as far as we've seen in S4 , which is to say, 4.08. No clue as to the title of that episode (or any others for that matter).
Disclaimers: I own nothing, but for once wasn't right in the gutter (close, but no cigar!)
Summary: Jack's leaving soon, and he and Sawyer decide to have a goodbye drink somewhere on a beach in neutral territory.
"A toast, then," Jack said, "To next time we meet."
"To next time," Sawyer agreed, thinking there probably wasn't going to be one. This was pretty much it, he figured. The look in Jack's eye said he was thinking along the same lines, no matter what he said. "Y'know, doc, there's one thing I always wondered."
"What's that, Sawyer?" Jack asked, shifting slightly where they sat on the beach together.
"How many of the same people we screwed here."
Jack nearly choked on his drink, making Sawyer laugh.
"You really need to go into that?" Jack queried, circling the tumbler in his hand and staring out across the bluest ocean in the world.
"Oh, c'mon. I know there's at least a couple we both had. It's not like there's much to hide here now. I'm curious."
Jack turned to study Sawyer's eyes for a while. Unflinching, Sawyer stared back, waiting.
"Okay," Jack said at last, like he'd just figured something out, "You go first. Name someone you slept with that you think I did too. When you get one right, it's my turn."
Sawyer smirked, dimples on full. Now this could be interesting.
"Besides Kate?"
Jack gave him a look. "Too easy. We both knew that already."
"She is, isn't she? Okay. Ana Lucia."
Jack sipped his drink, eyes back on the sea. "Yeah, you got me. She was pretty aggressive; what's a guy to do?"
"Aggressive, how? She get mean on ya? Tie ya up?"
"You know what I mean, Sawyer."
Sawyer tossed his hair, smirking still. He took a drink and said, "Your turn."
"I'm thinking," Jack replied, staring into his glass, "Shannon."
"You're more promiscuous than I imagined, doc." But he wasn't surprised by that one either.
"Caught me in a weak moment, what can I say?"
"She'd'a done anyone, pretty much, 'til ol' Sayid snagged her. I can tell you some stories…"
"I'd rather you didn't," Jack said quietly, still studying his glass.
"Okay, fair 'nough," Sawyer nodded, his grin diminishing. "Juliet."
Jack's head snapped up and he furrowed his brows. "You never slept with Juliet!"
Sawyer smiled inscrutably as took a sip from his glass to keep the man waiting deliberately.
"Nah, just foolin' with you, Doc. I mighta 'screwed' her in some ways, but you're right, I never actually fucked her. Did you?"
"Actually, no," Jack managed, annoyance crossing his features.
Sawyer was pretty sure Jack had at least kissed the cold bitch anyway, which was more than Sawyer wanted to do.
"Okay, so…" Sawyer paused, licking his lips. He named a woman that wasn't really very important; someone he'd screwed out of boredom.
"No," Jack shook his head, his face relaxing like he thought Sawyer had run out of common ground between them.
Sawyer studied him for a moment before throwing in, "Boone."
Jack went very still, and then he raised his eyes to Sawyer's.
"You're seriously telling me…" he gulped, took another drink, and perhaps having seen the truth in Sawyer's gaze, nodded as he averted his eyes.
"Can't say I'm surprised," Sawyer told him as Jack looked away. "Too hard to resist… such a pretty boy."
"There's no-one else," Jack rasped, downing the rest of his drink and making to stand up.
"Sure about that?" Sawyer asked, nonchalantly swirling the small amount of liquor left in his glass and watching the contents as the sun sparkled on it.
Jack snorted, and finished standing. "It's been fun, Sawyer. Think you found out what you wanted."
"Sayid."
"What?" Jack was even more still than he'd been at the mention of Boone's name.
Sawyer looked up at him, squinting against the sun, but he couldn't make out Jack's expression. He sensed panic though, and wondered what that was all about.
"You heard me," Sawyer said lowly, "You thought no-one else knew, but I saw you. It was only a handjob, but… fuck, it was one of the sexiest things I've ever seen."
Jack sat down again, running a hand over his hair and saying nothing. He lifted his glass to his mouth before he realised it was empty.
"S'okay, Jack, I ain't telling. Wasn't much different for me. Bastard's got this sexy way; you're drawn in, desperate for it, and then it's all 'I don't do this with men, just hands, okay?' By then it's too late, you'll do anything he wants. No-one else'd believe it, but we know."
Sawyer wasn't sure Jack was going to say anything for a while, but then he admitted quietly, "You got that right."
"See, I knew you and me was more alike than you'd've admitted once."
"It doesn't mean anything," Jack growled, looking at Sawyer at last.
"Maybe not, but… that's three men. I'm not one for labels, but it's mighty-"
"Three? That's only two, Sawyer. What are you talking about?"
Sawyer hadn't realised what he'd said for a moment, but he went on, "There was one other. Not sure it counts. For two reasons. Don't you remember?"
Jack had started to flush, but he didn't say anything yet, shaking his head and flicking his eyes back out over the water. It was very quiet for a moment and Sawyer was aware of the sound of the ocean growing louder. He finished the last swig of his drink and put the glass down in the sand next to him.
"Maybe this'll remind you," he offered, taking Jack's empty glass out of his hand and placing it next to his own.
Jack's heart was beating hard and fast as Sawyer put a hand on his breast. Oh, he remembered all right.
Sawyer had been on the bed in the hatch; out of it most of the time as he recovered from his fever, but the memory of Jack lying next to him and holding him all night as he shivered in the darkness was more real than other things he'd dreamed. It had to be real.
Sawyer moved his hand to Jack's face.
Jack didn't move away.
~//~//~//~
wide-screen display
Word Count: 999
Pairing: Several mentioned, Jack/Sawyer implied
Rating: PG (wot, no filth?)
Beta: The irrepressible kaige68, who knows a thing or two about Muppets (not that they are in this fic. Just 'cause).
Author's Notes: The boys were talking in my head, and would they be nice and follow a prompt from the lostsquee hiatus? Oh no, they had to go off on their own tangent. But I managed to rein them into under 1000 words... eventually! So now it's okay to post in lostquickfics. Woo!
Special Note: For kitty_trio, because she's been ill and probably needs something quick and easy! *smooches*, babe!
Spoilers: Vague spoilers to as far as we've seen in S4 , which is to say, 4.08. No clue as to the title of that episode (or any others for that matter).
Disclaimers: I own nothing, but for once wasn't right in the gutter (close, but no cigar!)
Summary: Jack's leaving soon, and he and Sawyer decide to have a goodbye drink somewhere on a beach in neutral territory.
"A toast, then," Jack said, "To next time we meet."
"To next time," Sawyer agreed, thinking there probably wasn't going to be one. This was pretty much it, he figured. The look in Jack's eye said he was thinking along the same lines, no matter what he said. "Y'know, doc, there's one thing I always wondered."
"What's that, Sawyer?" Jack asked, shifting slightly where they sat on the beach together.
"How many of the same people we screwed here."
Jack nearly choked on his drink, making Sawyer laugh.
"You really need to go into that?" Jack queried, circling the tumbler in his hand and staring out across the bluest ocean in the world.
"Oh, c'mon. I know there's at least a couple we both had. It's not like there's much to hide here now. I'm curious."
Jack turned to study Sawyer's eyes for a while. Unflinching, Sawyer stared back, waiting.
"Okay," Jack said at last, like he'd just figured something out, "You go first. Name someone you slept with that you think I did too. When you get one right, it's my turn."
Sawyer smirked, dimples on full. Now this could be interesting.
"Besides Kate?"
Jack gave him a look. "Too easy. We both knew that already."
"She is, isn't she? Okay. Ana Lucia."
Jack sipped his drink, eyes back on the sea. "Yeah, you got me. She was pretty aggressive; what's a guy to do?"
"Aggressive, how? She get mean on ya? Tie ya up?"
"You know what I mean, Sawyer."
Sawyer tossed his hair, smirking still. He took a drink and said, "Your turn."
"I'm thinking," Jack replied, staring into his glass, "Shannon."
"You're more promiscuous than I imagined, doc." But he wasn't surprised by that one either.
"Caught me in a weak moment, what can I say?"
"She'd'a done anyone, pretty much, 'til ol' Sayid snagged her. I can tell you some stories…"
"I'd rather you didn't," Jack said quietly, still studying his glass.
"Okay, fair 'nough," Sawyer nodded, his grin diminishing. "Juliet."
Jack's head snapped up and he furrowed his brows. "You never slept with Juliet!"
Sawyer smiled inscrutably as took a sip from his glass to keep the man waiting deliberately.
"Nah, just foolin' with you, Doc. I mighta 'screwed' her in some ways, but you're right, I never actually fucked her. Did you?"
"Actually, no," Jack managed, annoyance crossing his features.
Sawyer was pretty sure Jack had at least kissed the cold bitch anyway, which was more than Sawyer wanted to do.
"Okay, so…" Sawyer paused, licking his lips. He named a woman that wasn't really very important; someone he'd screwed out of boredom.
"No," Jack shook his head, his face relaxing like he thought Sawyer had run out of common ground between them.
Sawyer studied him for a moment before throwing in, "Boone."
Jack went very still, and then he raised his eyes to Sawyer's.
"You're seriously telling me…" he gulped, took another drink, and perhaps having seen the truth in Sawyer's gaze, nodded as he averted his eyes.
"Can't say I'm surprised," Sawyer told him as Jack looked away. "Too hard to resist… such a pretty boy."
"There's no-one else," Jack rasped, downing the rest of his drink and making to stand up.
"Sure about that?" Sawyer asked, nonchalantly swirling the small amount of liquor left in his glass and watching the contents as the sun sparkled on it.
Jack snorted, and finished standing. "It's been fun, Sawyer. Think you found out what you wanted."
"Sayid."
"What?" Jack was even more still than he'd been at the mention of Boone's name.
Sawyer looked up at him, squinting against the sun, but he couldn't make out Jack's expression. He sensed panic though, and wondered what that was all about.
"You heard me," Sawyer said lowly, "You thought no-one else knew, but I saw you. It was only a handjob, but… fuck, it was one of the sexiest things I've ever seen."
Jack sat down again, running a hand over his hair and saying nothing. He lifted his glass to his mouth before he realised it was empty.
"S'okay, Jack, I ain't telling. Wasn't much different for me. Bastard's got this sexy way; you're drawn in, desperate for it, and then it's all 'I don't do this with men, just hands, okay?' By then it's too late, you'll do anything he wants. No-one else'd believe it, but we know."
Sawyer wasn't sure Jack was going to say anything for a while, but then he admitted quietly, "You got that right."
"See, I knew you and me was more alike than you'd've admitted once."
"It doesn't mean anything," Jack growled, looking at Sawyer at last.
"Maybe not, but… that's three men. I'm not one for labels, but it's mighty-"
"Three? That's only two, Sawyer. What are you talking about?"
Sawyer hadn't realised what he'd said for a moment, but he went on, "There was one other. Not sure it counts. For two reasons. Don't you remember?"
Jack had started to flush, but he didn't say anything yet, shaking his head and flicking his eyes back out over the water. It was very quiet for a moment and Sawyer was aware of the sound of the ocean growing louder. He finished the last swig of his drink and put the glass down in the sand next to him.
"Maybe this'll remind you," he offered, taking Jack's empty glass out of his hand and placing it next to his own.
Jack's heart was beating hard and fast as Sawyer put a hand on his breast. Oh, he remembered all right.
Sawyer had been on the bed in the hatch; out of it most of the time as he recovered from his fever, but the memory of Jack lying next to him and holding him all night as he shivered in the darkness was more real than other things he'd dreamed. It had to be real.
Sawyer moved his hand to Jack's face.
Jack didn't move away.
~//~//~//~
wide-screen display