Team Building with Jack Landors (SPD, A Squad, #27, T)
characters: SPD’s A Squad (Z, Jack)
prompt #27: fight
word count: 800
rating: T
summary: "You’re supposed to fight Syd for Sky sometime tonight."
Team Building with Jack Landors (fight)
by *Andrea
She managed to catch Jack just before he walked back into the mess hall. “Heads up,” Z told him, falling into step beside him with a quick nod for Charlie and Rose. “You’re supposed to fight Syd for Sky sometime tonight.”
Jack stopped where he was, forcing the rest of them to flow around him. Z caught Rose when she almost walked into him, but Charlie stepped neatly to one side. “Say that again?”
“Oh, this sounds fun.” Charlie folded her arms as she eyed Z, clearly willing to stay and listen as long as the entertainment was better out here than it was in there. “What’s Syd wearing? Are there tickets involved?”
Rose smacked her arm, and Z figured that was pretty much the only response necessary. “We took some pictures,” she told Jack. “While you were away. It’s possible that someone might have... uh, leaked some of them.”
Oddly, Jack glared at Charlie, who just raised her eyebrows in reply. “What? She was the one with the camera.”
Jack turned a suspicious but slightly less impatient look on her. “What are these pictures of?” he wanted to know. “I assume they have something to do with why I’m fighting Syd?”
Z had a couple of herself inside the mess hall, and she knew they’d already been spotted out here. Which meant she had a limited amount of time to prepare Jack for what he was about to be in the middle of. “Here’s the thing,” she began.
“Syd made Sky pose with her,” Charlie interrupted. “There was kissing. She did a lot worse with her girlfriend.”
“Boyfriend,” Z corrected automatically.
Charlie didn’t look impressed. “Whatever.”
Z didn’t have time to argue about it. “C Squad got hold of the pictures,” she told Jack. “You’re their champion. They’re convinced you’re going to prove Sky is yours by fighting Syd.”
Jack scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. Sky could take both of us.”
“Hey!” And they were found. Des and Don and what looked like half of A Squad support poured out of the doorway and engulfed them. Including Boom, and Sophie, and Charlie looked surprised and Rose was smiling and then they were swept up.
Jack was laughing when he finally pushed his way through the crowd back to Z. “That,” he said with great satisfaction, “was totally worth it.”
She leaned into the arm he wrapped around her shoulders, watching Charlie and Rose get hugged within an inch of their lives. Z thought most of the crowd was actually trying to pull them back into the mess, it was just that they were being joined by more and more of the curious the longer they stayed in the hall. Outflow was, for now, overwhelming any movement in the other direction.
“You should know,” Z said while they watched, “there are banners.”
“Of what?” Jack was still smiling. He looked like he’d forgotten all about C Squad and the pictures. But he was going to get a rude awakening the moment Ruby and Hiyaki caught up with him--which, according to her second self, was going to happen in about a minute and a half.
“You,” she told him. “Sky. Sky and Syd. Someone got a projector, and I don’t know what they’re using for backdrops but you can’t miss it. King Jack. King Sky. Apparently Syd’s the spoiler.”
“You can’t have two kings,” Jack said, rolling his eyes. “Why can’t we be knights or something?”
“I didn’t say it made sense,” she reminded him. “They’re not kidding, though. They’re coming for you. And I don’t think you get how disappointed they’re going to be when you say no.”
“Who said I’m gonna say no?” Jack demanded. “I haven’t seen these pictures yet. And, hey, I heard there was drinking at this little party? Why didn’t I know about that? How much kissing was there, anyway?”
Z drew back, looking at him in surprise. “Wait, Sky didn’t tell you? I thought you knew about this. I distinctly recall threatening to tell on him, and he said you knew. Would know. Whatever.”
“What exactly were you gonna tell me?” Jack wanted to know.
“Everything!” she exclaimed. “About the tequila, and the--”
“Okay, wait, what?” Jack interrupted. “I heard there was beer! Not tequila!”
“Who did you hear that from?” she said, frowning. “I thought you didn’t even know there was drinking.”
“Charlie just told me.”
“Jack!” Somehow little Hiyaki managed to project her voice above the crowd, and Ruby joined in, and C Squad had found them. Even in the middle of the chaos in the hallway, they got to him, and they were telling him the whole story. Only their story sounded a lot longer than hers.
Jack didn’t look terribly upset about it, Z decided. She wondered if maybe she should be more worried about Syd.
prompt #27: fight
word count: 800
rating: T
summary: "You’re supposed to fight Syd for Sky sometime tonight."
Team Building with Jack Landors (fight)
by *Andrea
She managed to catch Jack just before he walked back into the mess hall. “Heads up,” Z told him, falling into step beside him with a quick nod for Charlie and Rose. “You’re supposed to fight Syd for Sky sometime tonight.”
Jack stopped where he was, forcing the rest of them to flow around him. Z caught Rose when she almost walked into him, but Charlie stepped neatly to one side. “Say that again?”
“Oh, this sounds fun.” Charlie folded her arms as she eyed Z, clearly willing to stay and listen as long as the entertainment was better out here than it was in there. “What’s Syd wearing? Are there tickets involved?”
Rose smacked her arm, and Z figured that was pretty much the only response necessary. “We took some pictures,” she told Jack. “While you were away. It’s possible that someone might have... uh, leaked some of them.”
Oddly, Jack glared at Charlie, who just raised her eyebrows in reply. “What? She was the one with the camera.”
Jack turned a suspicious but slightly less impatient look on her. “What are these pictures of?” he wanted to know. “I assume they have something to do with why I’m fighting Syd?”
Z had a couple of herself inside the mess hall, and she knew they’d already been spotted out here. Which meant she had a limited amount of time to prepare Jack for what he was about to be in the middle of. “Here’s the thing,” she began.
“Syd made Sky pose with her,” Charlie interrupted. “There was kissing. She did a lot worse with her girlfriend.”
“Boyfriend,” Z corrected automatically.
Charlie didn’t look impressed. “Whatever.”
Z didn’t have time to argue about it. “C Squad got hold of the pictures,” she told Jack. “You’re their champion. They’re convinced you’re going to prove Sky is yours by fighting Syd.”
Jack scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. Sky could take both of us.”
“Hey!” And they were found. Des and Don and what looked like half of A Squad support poured out of the doorway and engulfed them. Including Boom, and Sophie, and Charlie looked surprised and Rose was smiling and then they were swept up.
Jack was laughing when he finally pushed his way through the crowd back to Z. “That,” he said with great satisfaction, “was totally worth it.”
She leaned into the arm he wrapped around her shoulders, watching Charlie and Rose get hugged within an inch of their lives. Z thought most of the crowd was actually trying to pull them back into the mess, it was just that they were being joined by more and more of the curious the longer they stayed in the hall. Outflow was, for now, overwhelming any movement in the other direction.
“You should know,” Z said while they watched, “there are banners.”
“Of what?” Jack was still smiling. He looked like he’d forgotten all about C Squad and the pictures. But he was going to get a rude awakening the moment Ruby and Hiyaki caught up with him--which, according to her second self, was going to happen in about a minute and a half.
“You,” she told him. “Sky. Sky and Syd. Someone got a projector, and I don’t know what they’re using for backdrops but you can’t miss it. King Jack. King Sky. Apparently Syd’s the spoiler.”
“You can’t have two kings,” Jack said, rolling his eyes. “Why can’t we be knights or something?”
“I didn’t say it made sense,” she reminded him. “They’re not kidding, though. They’re coming for you. And I don’t think you get how disappointed they’re going to be when you say no.”
“Who said I’m gonna say no?” Jack demanded. “I haven’t seen these pictures yet. And, hey, I heard there was drinking at this little party? Why didn’t I know about that? How much kissing was there, anyway?”
Z drew back, looking at him in surprise. “Wait, Sky didn’t tell you? I thought you knew about this. I distinctly recall threatening to tell on him, and he said you knew. Would know. Whatever.”
“What exactly were you gonna tell me?” Jack wanted to know.
“Everything!” she exclaimed. “About the tequila, and the--”
“Okay, wait, what?” Jack interrupted. “I heard there was beer! Not tequila!”
“Who did you hear that from?” she said, frowning. “I thought you didn’t even know there was drinking.”
“Charlie just told me.”
“Jack!” Somehow little Hiyaki managed to project her voice above the crowd, and Ruby joined in, and C Squad had found them. Even in the middle of the chaos in the hallway, they got to him, and they were telling him the whole story. Only their story sounded a lot longer than hers.
Jack didn’t look terribly upset about it, Z decided. She wondered if maybe she should be more worried about Syd.