Future Plans (30 Rock, Jack/Liz)
Title: Future Plans
Prompt: 100_situations #027. Dark
Fandom: 30 Rock
Pairing: Jack/Liz
Spoilers: 'Seinfeld Vision'
Word Count: 1,070
Rating: PG
Table: Number Two.
Notes: I have a bunch of fics/fic bits sitting around on my hard drive which I'm trying to finish up and post. This is one of them!
Summary: Jack wants to help cheer Liz up.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue!
*
Liz is alone in her office, listening to a playlist of depressing love songs on her iPod and pondering which sketches she wants to cut before dress, when Jack enters.
"The poor lighting in here gives your office the atmosphere and charm of an abandoned warehouse."
She takes out her earbuds. "Hello to you, too."
It's after nine, and he's not wearing a tux -- he's still rocking the suit and tie thing... okay, maybe rocking is the wrong word. It seems like the wrong word -- which is kind of disappointing. She doesn't know why, outside of the fact that it's funny his after-work outfit is a tux.
"Okay," she begins. "Which jokes are you sicker of hearing: ones about how Paris Hilton is a skank or ones about Larry Craig being gay?"
"Considering that Larry is a close friend, I'd say the latter." He tilts his head. "You of all people should understand that someone can, from time to time, accidentally find themselves in gay situations."
"You setting me up with a woman isn't the same as Larry Craig tapping out a manlove signal to a cop."
"Isn't it?"
"Oh, yeah, right. It's exactly the same."
He frowns. "It troubles me that the things you say sarcastically are always rational statements. Are you making headway in your quest to get over Floyd?" he says, not leaving much of a pause between the two sentences.
"Um. I haven't eaten ham in a week."
"Other than that?"
"I'm fine."
His eyes travel over the part of her that's visible to him, like studying her sweater is going to make things clear. He meets her eyes. "You're not."
"I'm fine."
"Repeating the assertion doesn't make it any more believable. If it makes you feel better, your relationship was doomed from the start; it's good that it ended now instead of two years down the road, when the chances of you finding a husband will become even more astronomical."
Liz tries not to look too angry, lest he think heartache has again made her crazy. "For some reason, that does not make me feel better."
"What if I told you he wasn't good enough for you?"
"Would you be saying it sincerely?"
He hesitates. "No. Floyd was a fine man. But I don't think he was right for you." As she's opening her mouth to argue, he adds, "If he were, he wouldn't have left and you wouldn't have let him."
"It's more complicated than that."
"Of course it is. But I'm certain that if Floyd were someone you were madly in love with, you'd be with him. You shouldn't be pining over someone who wasn't and isn't right for you." He pauses, again eyeing her appraisingly. "Are you free for dinner tomorrow?"
Okay. So that's where this is going. "You're not setting me up with someone, are you? I'm not in the mood for that. Maybe later, though, because I would have gone for Gretchen if I were gay, so maybe you're a decent matchmaker. But. I am not ready for dating, no matter how many girls Floyd has answering his phone while he's in the shower washing the skank off him."
He's silent for a moment. "You still believe you're fine?"
"Yes. I am fine."
"If you insist on lying. Anyway, Lemon, I'm inviting you to dinner with me," he says. "I thought it might be good for you to have some decent company at a nice restaurant. Give you a reason not to listen to 'Both Sides Now' on repeat."
She finds herself glancing at her iPod, as if it's possible it's been sharing her secrets with Jack. "How did you know that's on my depressing songs playlist?"
"It's fairly obvious," he says without elaboration and with a vague hand gesture that seems to be directed at her forehead. "So, would you like to accompany me to dinner?"
"Is there really not going to be some other dude there? Maybe he'll show up after the complimentary salad and you'll say, 'Oh, how great to see you,' invite this 'friend' of yours to sit with us, and at the end of the night I'll have Marty Nealon and my mother staring at me expectantly after he asks for my number."
He doesn't respond right away. "No. That won't be the plan."
She frowns; a person who knows her favorite sad song without asking *should* know better than to pull a drop-in set-up. "You were going to do that?"
He shakes his head. "I don't believe in drop-in set-ups. They're transparent and, to be frank, incredibly obnoxious."
Liz gives him a thumbs up. "Exactly what I've been saying for the past ten years."
"You still haven't given me an answer."
She briefly weighs the pros and cons. Decides there's nothing wrong with letting her friend take her out to keep her from wallowing. (They're sort of friends. Buddies. Workplace pals.) Especially because, unlike Jenna, Jack won't want to go clubbing and make out with guys who smell like Axe Body Spray. "Yes. I will go to dinner with you."
He nods. "Good."
"So... where are you taking me? It's not someplace fancy is it?"
"I don't generally patronize rib shacks or sub shops."
"But those are the best places."
"I apologize for not having a palate sophisticated enough to properly appreciate Quiznos."
"Apology accepted, even if it wasn't sincere. Do I have to dress up?"
"Don't worry about it, Lemon. You're with me, so they'll know you're more respectable than your attire may imply."
"Okay. I will put on a dress."
"I appreciate the effort in advance."
"Thanks," she says, "by the way, for..." Not letting me wallow? Buying me food in a few hours? Being something other than the jerk I thought you were a year ago? "...caring. Thanks for caring that I'm not feeling awesome."
"Thanks aren't necessary," he says. "Though I do expect thanks after dinner, especially if you consume the amount of food I anticipate."
Thanks after dinner? That sounds vaguely sexual, but she tries not to react since she knows Jack didn't mean it that way. "Okay--"
"I'm not proposing anything remotely sexual."
She wishes he didn't know her so well. "I know... just, the wording. Anyway. I will not forget to thank you."
He nods again. "Good."
"See you tomorrow. And then later. When we eat food together."
After Jack leaves, she allows herself a small smile.
END
Prompt: 100_situations #027. Dark
Fandom: 30 Rock
Pairing: Jack/Liz
Spoilers: 'Seinfeld Vision'
Word Count: 1,070
Rating: PG
Table: Number Two.
Notes: I have a bunch of fics/fic bits sitting around on my hard drive which I'm trying to finish up and post. This is one of them!
Summary: Jack wants to help cheer Liz up.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue!
*
Liz is alone in her office, listening to a playlist of depressing love songs on her iPod and pondering which sketches she wants to cut before dress, when Jack enters.
"The poor lighting in here gives your office the atmosphere and charm of an abandoned warehouse."
She takes out her earbuds. "Hello to you, too."
It's after nine, and he's not wearing a tux -- he's still rocking the suit and tie thing... okay, maybe rocking is the wrong word. It seems like the wrong word -- which is kind of disappointing. She doesn't know why, outside of the fact that it's funny his after-work outfit is a tux.
"Okay," she begins. "Which jokes are you sicker of hearing: ones about how Paris Hilton is a skank or ones about Larry Craig being gay?"
"Considering that Larry is a close friend, I'd say the latter." He tilts his head. "You of all people should understand that someone can, from time to time, accidentally find themselves in gay situations."
"You setting me up with a woman isn't the same as Larry Craig tapping out a manlove signal to a cop."
"Isn't it?"
"Oh, yeah, right. It's exactly the same."
He frowns. "It troubles me that the things you say sarcastically are always rational statements. Are you making headway in your quest to get over Floyd?" he says, not leaving much of a pause between the two sentences.
"Um. I haven't eaten ham in a week."
"Other than that?"
"I'm fine."
His eyes travel over the part of her that's visible to him, like studying her sweater is going to make things clear. He meets her eyes. "You're not."
"I'm fine."
"Repeating the assertion doesn't make it any more believable. If it makes you feel better, your relationship was doomed from the start; it's good that it ended now instead of two years down the road, when the chances of you finding a husband will become even more astronomical."
Liz tries not to look too angry, lest he think heartache has again made her crazy. "For some reason, that does not make me feel better."
"What if I told you he wasn't good enough for you?"
"Would you be saying it sincerely?"
He hesitates. "No. Floyd was a fine man. But I don't think he was right for you." As she's opening her mouth to argue, he adds, "If he were, he wouldn't have left and you wouldn't have let him."
"It's more complicated than that."
"Of course it is. But I'm certain that if Floyd were someone you were madly in love with, you'd be with him. You shouldn't be pining over someone who wasn't and isn't right for you." He pauses, again eyeing her appraisingly. "Are you free for dinner tomorrow?"
Okay. So that's where this is going. "You're not setting me up with someone, are you? I'm not in the mood for that. Maybe later, though, because I would have gone for Gretchen if I were gay, so maybe you're a decent matchmaker. But. I am not ready for dating, no matter how many girls Floyd has answering his phone while he's in the shower washing the skank off him."
He's silent for a moment. "You still believe you're fine?"
"Yes. I am fine."
"If you insist on lying. Anyway, Lemon, I'm inviting you to dinner with me," he says. "I thought it might be good for you to have some decent company at a nice restaurant. Give you a reason not to listen to 'Both Sides Now' on repeat."
She finds herself glancing at her iPod, as if it's possible it's been sharing her secrets with Jack. "How did you know that's on my depressing songs playlist?"
"It's fairly obvious," he says without elaboration and with a vague hand gesture that seems to be directed at her forehead. "So, would you like to accompany me to dinner?"
"Is there really not going to be some other dude there? Maybe he'll show up after the complimentary salad and you'll say, 'Oh, how great to see you,' invite this 'friend' of yours to sit with us, and at the end of the night I'll have Marty Nealon and my mother staring at me expectantly after he asks for my number."
He doesn't respond right away. "No. That won't be the plan."
She frowns; a person who knows her favorite sad song without asking *should* know better than to pull a drop-in set-up. "You were going to do that?"
He shakes his head. "I don't believe in drop-in set-ups. They're transparent and, to be frank, incredibly obnoxious."
Liz gives him a thumbs up. "Exactly what I've been saying for the past ten years."
"You still haven't given me an answer."
She briefly weighs the pros and cons. Decides there's nothing wrong with letting her friend take her out to keep her from wallowing. (They're sort of friends. Buddies. Workplace pals.) Especially because, unlike Jenna, Jack won't want to go clubbing and make out with guys who smell like Axe Body Spray. "Yes. I will go to dinner with you."
He nods. "Good."
"So... where are you taking me? It's not someplace fancy is it?"
"I don't generally patronize rib shacks or sub shops."
"But those are the best places."
"I apologize for not having a palate sophisticated enough to properly appreciate Quiznos."
"Apology accepted, even if it wasn't sincere. Do I have to dress up?"
"Don't worry about it, Lemon. You're with me, so they'll know you're more respectable than your attire may imply."
"Okay. I will put on a dress."
"I appreciate the effort in advance."
"Thanks," she says, "by the way, for..." Not letting me wallow? Buying me food in a few hours? Being something other than the jerk I thought you were a year ago? "...caring. Thanks for caring that I'm not feeling awesome."
"Thanks aren't necessary," he says. "Though I do expect thanks after dinner, especially if you consume the amount of food I anticipate."
Thanks after dinner? That sounds vaguely sexual, but she tries not to react since she knows Jack didn't mean it that way. "Okay--"
"I'm not proposing anything remotely sexual."
She wishes he didn't know her so well. "I know... just, the wording. Anyway. I will not forget to thank you."
He nods again. "Good."
"See you tomorrow. And then later. When we eat food together."
After Jack leaves, she allows herself a small smile.
END