Tin soldier [fic]
Title: Tin soldier
Author: shadowbyrd
Rating: G
Pairing[s]: Tosh/Tim some Jack/Jack
Word Count: 698
Summary: Tosh knows what it's like to admire from afar. Little does she know she has been admired too.
A/N: Set during CJH. For those who may not remember Tim is the sweet ex-public schoolboy who discusses navigation with Tosh.
Usually when the lads drag him along to one of these dances Tim installs himself at the bar or one of the tables and spends the evening going over their flight plans in his mind. He’s given up asking girls to dance. They laugh at him and ruffle his hair and tell him he’s sweet, but none of them are interested. Not like that. Not when they could have George or Dan or Peter. Or even Captain Jack; all the girls try at least once.
Tonight’s no different; he keeps with the rest of them and laughs along with the rest when someone’s dragged off to dance or when one of them ventures forth to try their luck.
That’s when he spots her. She walks in with a towering man in a RAF coat, probably off duty from the way he’s turned out. Of course George pounces on her and drags her out to the dance floor, but he doesn’t get away with it for long and soon the Captain’s breaking up a fight between George and the tall bloke.
He spends most of the evening hidden amongst the others, trying not to watch her; she’s older than most of the girls he asks, and far more striking. Even if she isn’t with Captain Harper he doesn’t stand a chance. When she comes up to them he tries to edge out of sight, but then George goes and blows it all.
“That would be Tim. He can’t fly for toffee, but at least when he goes down he’ll know exactly where he is.”
There’s no going back. Tim offers her a sheepish smile and she takes him away to one of the tables to talk. The others wolf-whistle after them and Tim allows himself a moment of smugness thinking how jealous George will be, even if she only wants to discuss co-ordinates.
As it turns out she wants to know exactly when and where the sun rose. The accuracy he can give her leaves him proud and embarrassed. “I note it down every day,” he offers. “It’s a bit silly, I suppose.”
She smiles brilliantly. “It’s fantastic.”
Tim beams back and chooses to ignore for the moment the way she peers over his shoulder for Captain Harper. He eyes her calculations and considers asking her to explain them to him, but careless talk so on and so forth. He closes the conversation and leaves her to it, though not without a hopeful (unnoticed) backward glance.
Later, when Audrey starts kicking up a fuss (as she’s wont to the nights that George ignores her), Captain Jack sails in and smoothes things over nicely, with a small nod to Tim afterward. Tim nods back, making a note to buy him a drink as he watches Toshiko disappear upstairs.
When he does get around to it, it looks like he’s come in the nick of time.
“You alright, sir?”
The Captain smiles wryly and shakes his head. “Not really, Tim, no.” He’s staring - or rather trying not to - over at one of the tables. Where Captain Harper and Toshiko are sitting holding hands like someone’s died.
“You should go after her,” the Captain tells him. “She isn’t with him.”
“She’ll say no,” says Tim, flicking one of the beermats off the table. “You know how it is.”
The Captain sighs. “Tim, we could get killed doing what we do. You know that, right? Every day could be the last. You should try living like that every once in while; just go for what you want. Even if you’re here tomorrow she might not be.”
“He might not be either,” says Tim quietly.
The Captain doesn’t have anything to say to that. He just sips his drink, then puts it down and walks over to them.
Watching the two of them dance, Tim doesn’t think he’s ever seen Captain Jack so scared. But he looks - not quite happy, but something like. Peaceful.
He looks across at Toshiko, at her serene smile, happy for her Captain, and maybe his too, and stands -
- just as the room erupts in light. Moments later all the lights are dead and the two of them are gone.
Author: shadowbyrd
Rating: G
Pairing[s]: Tosh/Tim some Jack/Jack
Word Count: 698
Summary: Tosh knows what it's like to admire from afar. Little does she know she has been admired too.
A/N: Set during CJH. For those who may not remember Tim is the sweet ex-public schoolboy who discusses navigation with Tosh.
Usually when the lads drag him along to one of these dances Tim installs himself at the bar or one of the tables and spends the evening going over their flight plans in his mind. He’s given up asking girls to dance. They laugh at him and ruffle his hair and tell him he’s sweet, but none of them are interested. Not like that. Not when they could have George or Dan or Peter. Or even Captain Jack; all the girls try at least once.
Tonight’s no different; he keeps with the rest of them and laughs along with the rest when someone’s dragged off to dance or when one of them ventures forth to try their luck.
That’s when he spots her. She walks in with a towering man in a RAF coat, probably off duty from the way he’s turned out. Of course George pounces on her and drags her out to the dance floor, but he doesn’t get away with it for long and soon the Captain’s breaking up a fight between George and the tall bloke.
He spends most of the evening hidden amongst the others, trying not to watch her; she’s older than most of the girls he asks, and far more striking. Even if she isn’t with Captain Harper he doesn’t stand a chance. When she comes up to them he tries to edge out of sight, but then George goes and blows it all.
“That would be Tim. He can’t fly for toffee, but at least when he goes down he’ll know exactly where he is.”
There’s no going back. Tim offers her a sheepish smile and she takes him away to one of the tables to talk. The others wolf-whistle after them and Tim allows himself a moment of smugness thinking how jealous George will be, even if she only wants to discuss co-ordinates.
As it turns out she wants to know exactly when and where the sun rose. The accuracy he can give her leaves him proud and embarrassed. “I note it down every day,” he offers. “It’s a bit silly, I suppose.”
She smiles brilliantly. “It’s fantastic.”
Tim beams back and chooses to ignore for the moment the way she peers over his shoulder for Captain Harper. He eyes her calculations and considers asking her to explain them to him, but careless talk so on and so forth. He closes the conversation and leaves her to it, though not without a hopeful (unnoticed) backward glance.
Later, when Audrey starts kicking up a fuss (as she’s wont to the nights that George ignores her), Captain Jack sails in and smoothes things over nicely, with a small nod to Tim afterward. Tim nods back, making a note to buy him a drink as he watches Toshiko disappear upstairs.
When he does get around to it, it looks like he’s come in the nick of time.
“You alright, sir?”
The Captain smiles wryly and shakes his head. “Not really, Tim, no.” He’s staring - or rather trying not to - over at one of the tables. Where Captain Harper and Toshiko are sitting holding hands like someone’s died.
“You should go after her,” the Captain tells him. “She isn’t with him.”
“She’ll say no,” says Tim, flicking one of the beermats off the table. “You know how it is.”
The Captain sighs. “Tim, we could get killed doing what we do. You know that, right? Every day could be the last. You should try living like that every once in while; just go for what you want. Even if you’re here tomorrow she might not be.”
“He might not be either,” says Tim quietly.
The Captain doesn’t have anything to say to that. He just sips his drink, then puts it down and walks over to them.
Watching the two of them dance, Tim doesn’t think he’s ever seen Captain Jack so scared. But he looks - not quite happy, but something like. Peaceful.
He looks across at Toshiko, at her serene smile, happy for her Captain, and maybe his too, and stands -
- just as the room erupts in light. Moments later all the lights are dead and the two of them are gone.