Lornefest 3: All the Gin Joints: Lorne/Jack Harkness (Torchwood), Slash, PG/PG-13
Title: Of All the Gin Joints
Series: SGA/Torchwood Crossover
Characters/Pairing: Evan Lorne, Jack Harkness
Rating: PG/PG-13
Word Count: 5,611
Warnings: none
Notes: For slashing_lorne Lornefest
Prompts: Lorne/Jack: Lorne walks into a bar in Pegasus and finds a familiar face.
For HCBingo fill: Plane Crash
For Kinkbingo fill: Uniforms/Military Kink
“I don’t believe this,” Evan muttered to himself. The Cesna’s engine gave one last choking sputter and then gave up. He was in an unpowered glide. “I survive battles in another galaxy and come home and die in a plane crash on my vacation?” He rolled his eyes skyward and shouted, “This sucks!”
He had radioed in his position along with a last mayday before the power cut out. Hopefully the Air Force found enough pieces of him to identify in the wreckage, he would really hate for the last notation on his record to be that he went AWOL when he didn’t come back from his vacation. His mind was wandering as the plane drifted closer to the ground; he banked, trying to cut his speed with a few maneuvers. At least the stick still responded. Was he still in US airspace? Damn, it would suck if his family got entangled in some kind of international red tape because he crashed on the Canadian side of the falls. He wondered what kind of funeral they’d have for him, and who would be invited.
All he’d wanted to do was get a little air time, rack up a few air miles for his small craft license and see Niagara Falls from the air. Simple plan. “Stupid rental plane.” He slapped at the control panel angrily.
Banking the other way, he scoured the ground, looking for a field he could aim the plane towards. Spotting one, he tried pulling back on the stick, slowing his descent as much as he could. This was going to hurt like hell. He’d always thought he would go out bullet ridden after some mission. He also had desiccated by a Wraith, suffocated in deep space, taken over by a Gou’ald and blown up in hyperspace on his List of Ways Evan Lorne Could Possibly Die.
Evan had cut as much speed as he could. His bargaining with God was a litany in his head as he fought with the tiny plane for control. “Please God, let me land this piece of crap. I promise to be nice to McKay, I promise to stop hitting on Chuck and making him blush, I promise to actually do Sheppard’s paperwork and not just rubber stamp it, I won’t eat meat in Lent, even though I’m not Catholic. I’ll write my mother more often…”
His head slammed forward and he was jerked against the seat belts as he touched down with extreme force. His teeth smashed together and he bit his tongue as the wheels hit the churned dirt of some farmer’s corn field. For a hopeful moment, he thought perhaps he’d actually landed the sucker safely. But then the wheels caught on the uneven ground and the small craft was flipped end over end to skid upside down through the field. His head smashed against the side window and Evan blacked out and missed the rest of the crash.
~*~
After closing a case at Torchwood’s Buffalo branch office, Jack Harkness had decided he was long overdue a vacation at Niagara Falls. He wasn’t often in the area and had always wanted to see one of the wonders of Old Earth. He had taken a room at a bed and breakfast in the countryside outside of the main tourist area, somewhere nice and quiet where he could kick back and relax. The proprietors even had a huge two-man hammock in the trees beside the creek in the back of the place, and didn’t mind that Jack was crashing there during the day. He’d ditched his work clothes and was quite comfortable in the early summer heat in his t-shirt and board shorts as he sipped homemade lemonade and thought of nothing. Thinking of nothing was, for once, relaxing and not an exercise to keep himself sane.
He heard a familiar noise overhead, the sound of an engine failing. He rolled off the hammock and walked out of the trees and looked up, shading his eyes with one hand. He spotted the small plane just before the engine conked out and fell silent. The pilot was obviously trying to land her. Jack mapped out the plane’s trajectory and figured the plane would end up in one of the fields to the west of the inn. If the pilot was lucky. There was an expanse of woods on the other side of those fields, no place to land if he overshot the corn.
Curious to see if the guy pulled off the landing, Jack ran to the driveway where his rented Harley was parked, straddled the seat and kicked the bike into gear. He raced along the main road and heard the crash of the plane. There was a dirt access road that wound through and around the fields for the farm vehicles to use. Kissing his security deposit goodbye; he sped up the dirt road, wincing at every bump he hit that caused his spine to vibrate.
The plane, a Cesna, was upside down, but intact. Jack smelled fuel as he got closer. Fearing a fire and explosion, he ran as soon as he had leapt off the bike. The pilot was hanging in his harness, the side of his face covered in blood. The door opened when Jack yanked on it. He felt for a pulse and said loudly, “Hey buddy, can you hear me?”
He didn’t expect an answer. He quickly surveyed the best way to undo the belts holding the pilot; he would have to take the brunt of the guy’s weight on himself to keep him from hitting his head on the roof. He wedged himself into place, resting his shoulder under the pilot’s. He was reaching for the clasp on the seat belt when the pilot’s hand snapped out and grasped his wrist. The man groaned loudly.
“Easy, easy. I’m trying to help here,” Jack soothed. “We’ve got to get you out of here, the fuel tank is leaking; this thing could go up any time.”
“Okay, yeah, thanks,” the pilot’s voice was a bit shaky, but he released the grip he’d had on Jack’s wrist. He put his hands on Jack’s shoulders and braced himself as Jack let the belt release go. “Oh, shit!” he gasped as he fell against Harkness.
“Got ya, don’t worry.” Jack carefully helped the guy climb out of the cockpit. When he slid out onto his feet, the guy weaved a little but stayed up, impressing Jack with his stamina.
He reached past Jack to grab a duffel bag behind the seat and took the logbook from a pouch beside the seat. “Got the important stuff, let the rest burn. Stupid piece of crap.” He stumbled back, dragging on Jack’s arm. “C’mon, let’s go, I see some sparks in the cockpit, the electrical system isn’t quite toast yet.”
Jack let himself be pulled towards the road and his motorcycle. When they reached the bike, and Jack decided it was a safe distance should the plane blow, Jack stopped and grabbed the pilot’s shoulder to make him turn. “You whacked your head, let me see.” He reached out and took he man’s chin in his hand and tilted his head back and to the side, looking closely at the wound. “I think it looks worse than it is, how’s your vision?”
He pulled away and replied, “Okay. You’re right, it looks worse than it is. I’ve been in worse shape. Thanks for pulling me out. I’m Lorne.” The pilot stuck his hand out and Jack clasped it to shake.
“Jack Harkness. We should get you to a doctor anyway, x-rays and such.” He let his grip linger, sliding his hand away slowly, neither man seemed in a hurry to release the handshake. Jack saw a flicker of interest in the pilot’s eyes as Jack’s fingers brushed his palm.
Lorne nodded. “Yeah, probably should, my regular doctor would have a fit if he found out I skipped a check up after something like this.” He waved a hand in annoyance at the plane.
“There’s a walk in clinic in town, are you up to the bike? I could go back to the inn where I’m staying, maybe borrow a car.”
“I’m fine, really, Mr. Harkness.”
“Jack.”
“Jack. I’ve been through a hell of a lot worse.” As he finished speaking, something sparked loudly with a pop in the cockpit and the engine burst into flame. Lorne had turned towards the sound of the sparks and was shaking his head in disgust. “Well, there goes my deposit.”
Laughing, Jack said, “I had a similar thought earlier about the bike. C’mon, let’s get you taken care of.”
~*~
Lorne sat on the exam table, swinging his legs as the on call doctor shined the obligatory light in his eyes. As he finished cleaning out the small cut on Evan’s forehead, he asked, “So, plane crash?”
“Yup. I walked away though, so it counts as a landing.” Evan winced slightly as the doctor pulled a suture through the cut, stitching it closed.
“I always heard that.” Harkness was leaning against the wall by the door, keeping Evan company while he was checked over.
They had passed the local fire department on the way into town, and Jack ran in and told the dispatcher about the plane that was burning in a field about tow miles outside town and that he was taking the pilot to the clinic. As they got to the walk-in clinic, they had heard the sirens screaming away.
“You a professional pilot?” the doctor asked as he taped a bandage over the wound, pressing it against Evan’s skin.
“You could say that, yeah, I fly as part of my job sometimes.” He was SO not telling anyone he was in the Air Force. He’d never hear the end of it, people liked irony in their gossip. The doctor gave him a harrumph and left the room.
Jack was watching him curiously. “What field you in, Lorne?”
Thinking quickly, Evan said, “International acquisitions, a bit of diplomacy, I’m in charge of security for a pretty big firm.” There, that wasn’t a lie; not really, it was more a rewording of the truth. “What do you do when you aren’t riding a motorcycle around rescuing unlucky pilots?”
“Funny thing, that. I’m also in Acquisitions. I’ve been freelancing since our Cardiff offices closed up shop.”
“You don’t sound British.”
“I’m not. Citizen of the world, that’s me.” Jack thumped his chest proudly.
“X-rays are clear, you’re fine, you can go.” The doctor said, coming back with the film in his hand. “Come back if you have any odd symptoms; blurry vision, severe headache, nausea, vomiting.” Evan smiled and waved off the doctor’s offer of pain killers. He wouldn’t take them anyway. He slid off the table and picked up his duffel bag.
“I guess I need to find a place to stay, I’m a bit stranded for the moment. I need to make a few phone calls to get this mess straightened out.” He reached into the side pocket of his bag and pulled out his cell phone and waggled it.
“Might be room at the inn where I am, the people are nice.”
Gratefully, Lorne smiled at his rescuer. “Lead on, I’m following you.”
They stopped at a coffee shop and got a few to go cups and sat on a bench to drink them as Lorne made his phone calls. First to the plane rental company to report the crash and start the insurance paperwork rolling, then to his hotel in Niagara Falls to cancel the hold he had on the room he had reserved, and finally to the personnel desk at the SGC to report his current whereabouts and let them know he had been in an accident. It would suck to get beamed out by the Daedalus or the Hammond after being tracked by his SubQ if they heard about the plane crash. His insurance paperwork as well as the police report would surely throw up some red flags in some computer system at the SGC.
Enjoying the ride, Lorne pressed his cheek to Jack’s back as they rode out of town. They were being rebels, riding without helmets. The guy smelled really good. Really good. Exotically good. He squeezed Jack’s middle tightly, wondering if he was giving off the right vibes for the guy to pick up on. It had been a really long time since Evan had played the pickup game, he knew he was rusty. He thought his gaydar was working fine, and that told him that Harkness was playing for his team. He wondered if he’d be able to salvage something out of his wrecked vacation.
The inn keeper told them regretfully that she had booked the other room out already. As they went out onto the porch, Jack gave Lorne a ‘come hither’ glance and then offered, “I’ve got a queen sized bed, I’m willing to share, if you are.”
Something out of this vacation after all. Evan smiled back and moved a little closer to Harkness, into his personal space as he looked up at him and replied, “I don’t mind sharing.”
Jack moved a step closer and cupped Lorne’s chin, tilting his head and examining the bandage on his forehead. There was a promise of more in his voice as he remarked, “I think you might need some bed rest now.”
“Now that you mention it, I am pretty wiped out. Shall we go upstairs?”
Jack waved to the inn keeper on their way in and told her that his friend was going to stay with him and asked if one more for breakfast would be a bother. She tittered and replied that it was no trouble at all, and wasn’t Jack such a nice boy to help out a friend?
“She’s sweet,” Lorne remarked as they went into the tastefully decorated bedroom. It seemed a little out of place here in the country, like the kind of room you’d fine in Cape Cod, Maine or on the Long Island shore, airy, sparse and nautical. With an artist’s eye, Lorne admired the crisp clean lines and contrasts of the white against blue everywhere in the room.
“Yeah, she bakes little bits of heaven too.” Jack dropped into the cozy overstuffed chair and watched as Evan made a circuit of the room, checking the few knick-knacks that were scattered about. “So, is Lorne a first name or last name?”
He looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Last. My first name is Evan. Hey, don’t move for a minute, okay?”
“Sure. Why?”
Evan was rummaging in his duffel bag and pulled out a sketch pad and his pencil case. “The light from the French doors is awesome, I want to sketch.”
~*~
Jack smiled and stayed where he was, in no hurry to do more than get to know the man he’d invited into his bed. The sketching might be a stalling tactic, to give Evan more time to do the same. He didn’t mind. He crossed one leg over the other and rested his wrist across his knee.
“So, where’s home?” Evan asked.
Jack shrugged. “I’m out of one at the moment. I was pretty comfortable in Cardiff until all the crap that went down. I’m at loose ends right now. Where’s home for you?”
“Atl… San Francisco, originally. I’ve been moving around a lot too; go where the job takes me.”
Letting the slip pass, Jack assumed that Lorne had been about to say Atlanta before he cut off. “I’m assuming you aren’t seeing anyone?”
“Nope. Free and easy. Been years since I was involved seriously, how about you?”
“I was. I lost him around the same time as I lost Cardiff. Been a while.”
“That sucks, I’m sorry.” Evan’s tongue poked out between his lips a he sketched.
He flipped several pages as he drew, moving from place to place in the room. “What kind of things do you acquire?” Lorne asked casually, making conversation, Jack assumed.
“Rare antiquities, occasionally a rare breed for a collector. I do a bit of security work as well here and there.”
They chatted about Niagara Falls, sightseeing in the states and abroad, and the weather for a while as Evan continued to wield his pencils. Jack chuckled as he pulled yet another different one from the case, sticking the one he had been using behind his ear. “Watch your bandage,” he advised.
“Oh, yeah, forgot about that.”
“You almost done drawing? I sort of want to kiss you,” Jack drawled, trailing a finger along the arm of the chair.
Lorne smirked and made one more line with a flourish, whipping the pencil across the paper. “For that, I can be done, right now.”
Climbing out of the chair, Jack crossed the room to stand right in front of Evan. He pulled the sketch pad from his hand and tossed it over to the seat he had just vacated. Gently, he clasped Evan’s face between his hands. He placed a gentle kiss over the bandage. “That just needed to be done, to make it get better sooner.”
Jack pressed his lips to Evan’s. The first kiss was quiet, sweet and calm, a taste, just a little taste before he leaned back and stared into Evan’s face. His thumbs rubbed small circles on Evan’s cheeks as he whispered, “Hello.”
“Hi,” Evan whispered back. He surged forward and caught Jack’s lips. The second kiss - not so sweet. Tongues intertwined and the fought for dominance, losing track of which of them was the aggressor. It seemed to be equal. There was a bit of laughter as they broke apart and slammed back to start again. Jack was relieved, he needed someone that could be playful, he needed light and happy. He was tired of being sad and lonely and very much over his brooding stage.
Jack nudged at Evan, urging him backwards towards the bed. They toppled backwards without breaking apart. When they did stop for breath, Jack leaned up on one elbow and asked, “You’re okay, no pain from the head?”
Grabbing at Jack’s shoulder to pull him back, Evan grunted, “I’m fine, really, I’ll let you know if I’m not, until then, no worries, deal?”
“Deal.”
~*~
By the time Evan regretfully left Niagara Falls to return to duty, he had a full sketchpad, recipes for three different types of muffins from the inn keeper and memories of a vacation romance to tide him over until his next leave. He and Jack exchanged addresses, both knowing they would probably never write, but it felt right to make the effort. Evan gave Jack his mother’s address in San Francisco. The address Jack gave him was in care of a friend of his, a Gwen Cooper in Wales. Jack claimed he had no current email account and Evan didn’t feel right offering his military email address and putting Jack in a position to possibly be investigated at some point in the future. All emails to Atlantis were scrutinized for security reasons.
When Atlantis returned to Pegasus, newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Lorne was still serving as Sheppard’s XO. His life returned to the usual routine of weirdness that was life on Atlantis.
AG-2 had a mission scheduled for a trading world, P84-322. Lorne was waiting impatiently in the Gate Room for their temporary fourth to show up. Their usual team member, David Parrish, had the flu and was sequestered in a corner of the infirmary in an effort to keep the contagion at a minimum. Lorne had drafted Lieutenant O’Neill to come along in his place. O’Neill was late. Cadman and Stackhouse were triple checking their weapons and TAC vests as Jon ran up to join them, muttering apologies.
Rolling his eyes, Lorne raised a hand and signaled to Chuck to dial the Gate. Once on the planet, it was a fairly simple meet up with their contact to arrange for the trade. It only took them about two hours to get everything settled and underway. “I’m thirsty,” Cadman said, holding her water bottle up and turning it upside down and shaking it to demonstrate.
Lorne pulled out his canteen and offered it to Cadman, but she pulled a face. “Ew! Colonel cooties, no thank you. I see a bar. I want something local and fresh.”
He let her get away with it because she was one of his best friends and if she really was thirsty she’d have taken his canteen. He wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Laura had dumped her own water purposely to have the excuse to hit the bar. He sighed with mock irritation and nodded, turning to follow her as she happily marched towards the local tavern.
“Stackhouse, stash that.” Lorne tossed his chin towards the P-90 Stacks had hooked to his TAC vest. The sergeant nodded and strapped the weapon to the side of his pack, still accessible if he needed it.
A friendly woman met them at the door and ushered them inside to a table. They ordered a round of ale and sat back to enjoy the drinks. When no server reappeared to refill their drinks or offer them food, Evan stood up and said, “I’ll go get these refilled.” He took Stack’s empty mug and his own and wove his way through the tables. He got to the bar and dropped the mugs on top of it.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he sensed someone staring at him. He looked around and had to clench his teeth firmly together to keep his jaw from dropping when he spotted someone that was very out of place. There was an empty stool between them, so Evan sat on it and turned towards the person that had to be a look alike. “Uhm…”
~*~
Jack had been astonished as he saw a man that looked very much like Evan Lorne making his way across the room to the bar. He looked Evan up and down, taking in the uniform. God, a uniform. His mouth started watering at the sight. He noted the patch on Evan’s sleeve; apparently, he was not based in Atlanta, Georgia as Jack had previously thought. He had heard rumors in his travels through this sector of the lost city of the ancients, and of Atlantis being inhabited and at the center of the fight against the Wraith. He’d started digging for information, out of curiosity, but information sources out here were few and far between. Jack didn’t have the backing of Torchwood here; he was left to his own devices to ferret out information.
He had heard drips and drabs about the Stargate program over the years, but never had any interactions with them, Torchwood kept him out of the loop on it. Jack was certain there were file cabinets full of data about the Stargate somewhere in a building with a security clearance outside his pay grade required to access.
“So,” Jack smiled broadly at Evan. “Security for a big firm, would that be the United States government, and the SGC?” He pointed at Evan’s jacket patches.
Ducking his head and grinning sheepishly, Evan nodded. “Yeah. And you, acquisitions of the exotic and antiquities?”
“Aliens loose on Earth, and alien tech. I’m with Torchwood.”
The bartender came over and picked up the mugs Lorne had dropped there. “Two more ales?”
“Yes, please.” Lorne slid some of the local currency across the bar and the man took it and left to fill the mugs.
Jack leaned close and dipped a finger under Lorne’s collar, slowly pulling up his dog tags. He squinted in the dim light at the raised writing, and then ran a finger over the letters. “Lieutenant Colonel?”
“Air Force.”
“I like your uniform.” Jack gave him a hot once over as he dropped the dog tags.
The bartender was coming back with the mugs, Jack noticed him just as he heard someone clear his throat behind them and say, “Is there a problem, Sir?”
Evan spun on his stool and gaped at the man for a moment. “No! No, Stackhouse, this is a friend. Jack, why don’t you come join my team at the table?”
Jack picked up his drink and slid from the bar stool. He held a hand out to the Sergeant. “Captain Jack Harkness.”
“Nathan Stackhouse.” He had a firm grip, Jack noticed.
When they go to the table, Evan introduced him to Captain Cadman and Lieutenant O’Neill. The rest of Evan’s team eyed Jack warily as he pulled up a chair and straddled it.
Lorne leaned back in his chair and gave Jack a curious glance. “How’d you get here, Jack?”
“Well, that is a funny story. I hitched a ride with some people I thought were friends, but they went and ditched me here when we stopped for supplies.”
“Can’t trust anybody these days.” O’Neill was giving him the stink eye as he made his casual remark and sipped at his ale. He might look like a kid, but Jack knew the eyes of experience when he saw them, and this was no green baby officer. He wondered what his story was.
“Some people. Not everyone is out to get you.” Jack sipped his drink and stared at Evan.
“Colonel, we should be going, we have a check in,” The little red head gave Evan a look as she kicked him under the table.
“I haven’t finished my ale yet,” Evan replied, sipping his drink slowly. “Neither has Stacks.”
She crossed her arms and sat back now splitting a glare between Jack and Evan. Jack decided he liked her, she was cute and spunky. If his focus was not Evan right now, he would probably go for her.
“If you want to go back and check in, I’m not stopping you, Cadman.”
“I’ll go with her.” O’Neill stood and dragged Cadman out of her chair by her jacket sleeve. “We’ll be back.”
“Going or staying?” Evan asked Stackhouse. Stackhouse leaned back in his chair and settled more comfortably. “Oh, I’m staying, I like your friend.”
“So do I.” Evan glared at Stackhouse and the message was clear to Jack, he was giving Stackhouse a ‘hands off’ warning. The sergeant just shrugged and smiled at his CO.
~*~
“What are you doing out here, Jack?” Evan asked.
Jack smiled, “At the moment? Being stranded.” He held up his wrist, revealing a device of some sort strapped to it. “My usual mode of transport is drained, no go for the moment.”
Thinking for a moment, Lorne reached up and tapped his earpiece. “Cadman, when you check in, ask Colonel Sheppard to have a Captain Jack Harkness from Torchwood cleared. Tell him he’s stranded and needs a lift.”
“Understood, Sir.” Cadman replied, and taking the opportunity to tease her friend, she added, “So, this guy is a good friend, huh? I caught the vibes, don’t deny it. He’s really pretty, Ev.”
“Uh huh.” He sipped his drink and replied as he stared at Jack, agreeing completely with Cadman that he was pretty, very pretty.
It took ten minutes for Cadman to call back with the all clear from Atlantis. They hadn’t even needed to contact the SGC for the clearance. McKay apparently had connections with Torchwood and knew enough about Harkness to vouch for him.
Jack gratefully accompanied them back to Atlantis. The Daedalus was out on the pier doing maintenance, and was scheduled to leave in two days. Jack Harkness had his ride back to Earth.
He was given a full check up by medical before being cleared for the nickel tour. Woolsey reluctantly granted Jack permission to see a little of the city before he was shipped home. Sheppard put him in Lorne’s custody. Sometimes, Lorne really loved his commanding officer.
After Jack had probably seen enough to satisfy his curiosity, met Rodney McKay and had a brief chat about the Canadian branches of Torchwood and people they both knew, Jack poked Evan in the ribs and whispered, “I want to see your quarters.”
“Oh, thank God. C’mon.” Relieved that the token tour was over, Lorne grabbed Jack’s wrist and dragged him to the nearest transporter.
Evan opened the door to his room and pushed Jack through. Once the door was closed, he fell into Jack’s arms, kissing him with the passion that had been slowly building since the moment their eyes had met in that tavern.
When Jack pulled back, Evan followed, trying to kiss him again. Jack held him back, a hand splayed on his chest. “Wait, wait. Please tell me you have your dress uniform with you.”
Confused, Evan nodded. “Yeah, why?”
“I love a man in uniform. I mean I really…” he punctuated his statement with kisses along Evan’s jaw and throat, “… really… really love a man in uniform.”
“Is that so?” Evan asked as Jack unbuttoned his shirt and nuzzled down his collarbone and pressed his face against Evan’s dog tags.
“Oh, yeah. Please?” Jack looked up at him, blue eyes pleading so earnestly that Evan had to laugh.
“Sure, why not. Does it have to be full kit, or will the jacket suffice?”
Jack looked him up and down, toes to nose and begged, “All of it. Please.”
Crossing to his closet, Evan began stripping out of his BDUs, tossing the clothing aside. He was in his boxers and t-shirt when he reached the closet. He paused, “Uhm, I can’t really get this all messed up, the dry cleaner is back in Colorado Springs, I’ve only got one set of dress blues with me.”
“I just wanna look, I swear, no touching until you’re naked.” Jack promised as he sat on the bed, folded his hands in his lap and watched Evan dress.
It was the first time Evan had ever dressed for a lover’s enjoyment, doing a reverse striptease. He pulled on his trousers and sat on the desk chair to put his dress shoes on. He slipped the pale blue dress shirt on. Tucking in his shirt, he draped his tie loosely around his neck, intending to do it last. The jacket, with all his proper insignia and medals pinned on fell perfectly across his shoulders. He had splurged and had it tailored on the last trip home to fit his shoulders more comfortably.
He propped his cap on his head and adjusted the angle. When he turned back towards the bed, Jack was right behind him. “Tie.” Jack reached out and picked up the tie and set it properly around his neck, tying it in a perfect knot. He then stepped back and sat on the bed again, staring at Evan. “Pretend I’m drawing you,” Jack told him breathlessly.
After a few minutes of intense scrutiny, Evan began to squirm nervously. “I’m not used to being the subject.”
“Shh, I’m memorizing.”
“Do you have email? I’ll send you a picture. I want to get out of this and get on with things.”
Jack laughed. “Okay, flyboy, strip, and make it good. Pants first.”
Toeing off his shoes, Evan took off his pants and hung them back on the hanger, he slowly pulled off the tie Jack had done up for him and looped it over a hanger. His jacket and shirt went back into the narrow closet. “Now that is a picture,” Jack laughed and pointed to Evan’s cap and then his boxers and white sport socks.
“Ha!” Evan dropped the cap on his desk and launched himself at Jack, flattening him against the mattress. He kissed Jack senseless for a few minutes, enjoying the way Jack’s hands roved all over his body.
Evan pulled up and away, bracing himself on his palms as he leaned over Jack, their faces only inches apart. He smirked and whispered, “Hello.”
“Hi,” Jack leaned up and caught Evan’s lips, then said, “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Evan returned and kissed Jack again. “So, uniforms do it for you, eh?”
“Love uniforms.” Jack wriggled under him. “Hot. You were sexy hot in that.” Jack rolled them over and proceeded to show Evan exactly how much of a turn on a man in uniform was for him.
~*~
Evan stood on the pier and watched the Daedalus leave. He tracked the ship until she disappeared in the upper atmosphere. He and Jack had said their farewells in private. It was now a fairly open secret in Atlantis that Lorne had a thing going with the guy from Torchwood, but Evan didn’t want to give any ammo to Caldwell or his crew. DADT was still in its death throes, Evan wanted to wait until the corpse was chilled a bit before he came out and danced naked on its grave.
“So, all good?” Sheppard said, rocking on his heels beside him.
“All good, Sir.”
“Was that your vacation hookup?” Sheppard asked. Lorne had confessed that he’d had a fling when Sheppard had pressed him about his goofy smiles and daydreaming in the office upon his return.
“Yeah.”
“Gonna see him again?”
“He mentioned putting in an application with the IOA for detached Torchwood duty to the SGC. We might see more of him in the future. I have leave in July. Don’t forget.”
Sheppard laughed. “I won’t forget. Tonight is movie night, Ronon picked some HBO series about swords and thrones or something like that someone downloaded from the data burst.”
“I’ll be there.” Evan’s mind was a million miles away, planning his next leave, he was thinking somewhere warm and sandy. And Jack. He was thinking Jack.
Series: SGA/Torchwood Crossover
Characters/Pairing: Evan Lorne, Jack Harkness
Rating: PG/PG-13
Word Count: 5,611
Warnings: none
Notes: For slashing_lorne Lornefest
Prompts: Lorne/Jack: Lorne walks into a bar in Pegasus and finds a familiar face.
For HCBingo fill: Plane Crash
For Kinkbingo fill: Uniforms/Military Kink
“I don’t believe this,” Evan muttered to himself. The Cesna’s engine gave one last choking sputter and then gave up. He was in an unpowered glide. “I survive battles in another galaxy and come home and die in a plane crash on my vacation?” He rolled his eyes skyward and shouted, “This sucks!”
He had radioed in his position along with a last mayday before the power cut out. Hopefully the Air Force found enough pieces of him to identify in the wreckage, he would really hate for the last notation on his record to be that he went AWOL when he didn’t come back from his vacation. His mind was wandering as the plane drifted closer to the ground; he banked, trying to cut his speed with a few maneuvers. At least the stick still responded. Was he still in US airspace? Damn, it would suck if his family got entangled in some kind of international red tape because he crashed on the Canadian side of the falls. He wondered what kind of funeral they’d have for him, and who would be invited.
All he’d wanted to do was get a little air time, rack up a few air miles for his small craft license and see Niagara Falls from the air. Simple plan. “Stupid rental plane.” He slapped at the control panel angrily.
Banking the other way, he scoured the ground, looking for a field he could aim the plane towards. Spotting one, he tried pulling back on the stick, slowing his descent as much as he could. This was going to hurt like hell. He’d always thought he would go out bullet ridden after some mission. He also had desiccated by a Wraith, suffocated in deep space, taken over by a Gou’ald and blown up in hyperspace on his List of Ways Evan Lorne Could Possibly Die.
Evan had cut as much speed as he could. His bargaining with God was a litany in his head as he fought with the tiny plane for control. “Please God, let me land this piece of crap. I promise to be nice to McKay, I promise to stop hitting on Chuck and making him blush, I promise to actually do Sheppard’s paperwork and not just rubber stamp it, I won’t eat meat in Lent, even though I’m not Catholic. I’ll write my mother more often…”
His head slammed forward and he was jerked against the seat belts as he touched down with extreme force. His teeth smashed together and he bit his tongue as the wheels hit the churned dirt of some farmer’s corn field. For a hopeful moment, he thought perhaps he’d actually landed the sucker safely. But then the wheels caught on the uneven ground and the small craft was flipped end over end to skid upside down through the field. His head smashed against the side window and Evan blacked out and missed the rest of the crash.
~*~
After closing a case at Torchwood’s Buffalo branch office, Jack Harkness had decided he was long overdue a vacation at Niagara Falls. He wasn’t often in the area and had always wanted to see one of the wonders of Old Earth. He had taken a room at a bed and breakfast in the countryside outside of the main tourist area, somewhere nice and quiet where he could kick back and relax. The proprietors even had a huge two-man hammock in the trees beside the creek in the back of the place, and didn’t mind that Jack was crashing there during the day. He’d ditched his work clothes and was quite comfortable in the early summer heat in his t-shirt and board shorts as he sipped homemade lemonade and thought of nothing. Thinking of nothing was, for once, relaxing and not an exercise to keep himself sane.
He heard a familiar noise overhead, the sound of an engine failing. He rolled off the hammock and walked out of the trees and looked up, shading his eyes with one hand. He spotted the small plane just before the engine conked out and fell silent. The pilot was obviously trying to land her. Jack mapped out the plane’s trajectory and figured the plane would end up in one of the fields to the west of the inn. If the pilot was lucky. There was an expanse of woods on the other side of those fields, no place to land if he overshot the corn.
Curious to see if the guy pulled off the landing, Jack ran to the driveway where his rented Harley was parked, straddled the seat and kicked the bike into gear. He raced along the main road and heard the crash of the plane. There was a dirt access road that wound through and around the fields for the farm vehicles to use. Kissing his security deposit goodbye; he sped up the dirt road, wincing at every bump he hit that caused his spine to vibrate.
The plane, a Cesna, was upside down, but intact. Jack smelled fuel as he got closer. Fearing a fire and explosion, he ran as soon as he had leapt off the bike. The pilot was hanging in his harness, the side of his face covered in blood. The door opened when Jack yanked on it. He felt for a pulse and said loudly, “Hey buddy, can you hear me?”
He didn’t expect an answer. He quickly surveyed the best way to undo the belts holding the pilot; he would have to take the brunt of the guy’s weight on himself to keep him from hitting his head on the roof. He wedged himself into place, resting his shoulder under the pilot’s. He was reaching for the clasp on the seat belt when the pilot’s hand snapped out and grasped his wrist. The man groaned loudly.
“Easy, easy. I’m trying to help here,” Jack soothed. “We’ve got to get you out of here, the fuel tank is leaking; this thing could go up any time.”
“Okay, yeah, thanks,” the pilot’s voice was a bit shaky, but he released the grip he’d had on Jack’s wrist. He put his hands on Jack’s shoulders and braced himself as Jack let the belt release go. “Oh, shit!” he gasped as he fell against Harkness.
“Got ya, don’t worry.” Jack carefully helped the guy climb out of the cockpit. When he slid out onto his feet, the guy weaved a little but stayed up, impressing Jack with his stamina.
He reached past Jack to grab a duffel bag behind the seat and took the logbook from a pouch beside the seat. “Got the important stuff, let the rest burn. Stupid piece of crap.” He stumbled back, dragging on Jack’s arm. “C’mon, let’s go, I see some sparks in the cockpit, the electrical system isn’t quite toast yet.”
Jack let himself be pulled towards the road and his motorcycle. When they reached the bike, and Jack decided it was a safe distance should the plane blow, Jack stopped and grabbed the pilot’s shoulder to make him turn. “You whacked your head, let me see.” He reached out and took he man’s chin in his hand and tilted his head back and to the side, looking closely at the wound. “I think it looks worse than it is, how’s your vision?”
He pulled away and replied, “Okay. You’re right, it looks worse than it is. I’ve been in worse shape. Thanks for pulling me out. I’m Lorne.” The pilot stuck his hand out and Jack clasped it to shake.
“Jack Harkness. We should get you to a doctor anyway, x-rays and such.” He let his grip linger, sliding his hand away slowly, neither man seemed in a hurry to release the handshake. Jack saw a flicker of interest in the pilot’s eyes as Jack’s fingers brushed his palm.
Lorne nodded. “Yeah, probably should, my regular doctor would have a fit if he found out I skipped a check up after something like this.” He waved a hand in annoyance at the plane.
“There’s a walk in clinic in town, are you up to the bike? I could go back to the inn where I’m staying, maybe borrow a car.”
“I’m fine, really, Mr. Harkness.”
“Jack.”
“Jack. I’ve been through a hell of a lot worse.” As he finished speaking, something sparked loudly with a pop in the cockpit and the engine burst into flame. Lorne had turned towards the sound of the sparks and was shaking his head in disgust. “Well, there goes my deposit.”
Laughing, Jack said, “I had a similar thought earlier about the bike. C’mon, let’s get you taken care of.”
~*~
Lorne sat on the exam table, swinging his legs as the on call doctor shined the obligatory light in his eyes. As he finished cleaning out the small cut on Evan’s forehead, he asked, “So, plane crash?”
“Yup. I walked away though, so it counts as a landing.” Evan winced slightly as the doctor pulled a suture through the cut, stitching it closed.
“I always heard that.” Harkness was leaning against the wall by the door, keeping Evan company while he was checked over.
They had passed the local fire department on the way into town, and Jack ran in and told the dispatcher about the plane that was burning in a field about tow miles outside town and that he was taking the pilot to the clinic. As they got to the walk-in clinic, they had heard the sirens screaming away.
“You a professional pilot?” the doctor asked as he taped a bandage over the wound, pressing it against Evan’s skin.
“You could say that, yeah, I fly as part of my job sometimes.” He was SO not telling anyone he was in the Air Force. He’d never hear the end of it, people liked irony in their gossip. The doctor gave him a harrumph and left the room.
Jack was watching him curiously. “What field you in, Lorne?”
Thinking quickly, Evan said, “International acquisitions, a bit of diplomacy, I’m in charge of security for a pretty big firm.” There, that wasn’t a lie; not really, it was more a rewording of the truth. “What do you do when you aren’t riding a motorcycle around rescuing unlucky pilots?”
“Funny thing, that. I’m also in Acquisitions. I’ve been freelancing since our Cardiff offices closed up shop.”
“You don’t sound British.”
“I’m not. Citizen of the world, that’s me.” Jack thumped his chest proudly.
“X-rays are clear, you’re fine, you can go.” The doctor said, coming back with the film in his hand. “Come back if you have any odd symptoms; blurry vision, severe headache, nausea, vomiting.” Evan smiled and waved off the doctor’s offer of pain killers. He wouldn’t take them anyway. He slid off the table and picked up his duffel bag.
“I guess I need to find a place to stay, I’m a bit stranded for the moment. I need to make a few phone calls to get this mess straightened out.” He reached into the side pocket of his bag and pulled out his cell phone and waggled it.
“Might be room at the inn where I am, the people are nice.”
Gratefully, Lorne smiled at his rescuer. “Lead on, I’m following you.”
They stopped at a coffee shop and got a few to go cups and sat on a bench to drink them as Lorne made his phone calls. First to the plane rental company to report the crash and start the insurance paperwork rolling, then to his hotel in Niagara Falls to cancel the hold he had on the room he had reserved, and finally to the personnel desk at the SGC to report his current whereabouts and let them know he had been in an accident. It would suck to get beamed out by the Daedalus or the Hammond after being tracked by his SubQ if they heard about the plane crash. His insurance paperwork as well as the police report would surely throw up some red flags in some computer system at the SGC.
Enjoying the ride, Lorne pressed his cheek to Jack’s back as they rode out of town. They were being rebels, riding without helmets. The guy smelled really good. Really good. Exotically good. He squeezed Jack’s middle tightly, wondering if he was giving off the right vibes for the guy to pick up on. It had been a really long time since Evan had played the pickup game, he knew he was rusty. He thought his gaydar was working fine, and that told him that Harkness was playing for his team. He wondered if he’d be able to salvage something out of his wrecked vacation.
The inn keeper told them regretfully that she had booked the other room out already. As they went out onto the porch, Jack gave Lorne a ‘come hither’ glance and then offered, “I’ve got a queen sized bed, I’m willing to share, if you are.”
Something out of this vacation after all. Evan smiled back and moved a little closer to Harkness, into his personal space as he looked up at him and replied, “I don’t mind sharing.”
Jack moved a step closer and cupped Lorne’s chin, tilting his head and examining the bandage on his forehead. There was a promise of more in his voice as he remarked, “I think you might need some bed rest now.”
“Now that you mention it, I am pretty wiped out. Shall we go upstairs?”
Jack waved to the inn keeper on their way in and told her that his friend was going to stay with him and asked if one more for breakfast would be a bother. She tittered and replied that it was no trouble at all, and wasn’t Jack such a nice boy to help out a friend?
“She’s sweet,” Lorne remarked as they went into the tastefully decorated bedroom. It seemed a little out of place here in the country, like the kind of room you’d fine in Cape Cod, Maine or on the Long Island shore, airy, sparse and nautical. With an artist’s eye, Lorne admired the crisp clean lines and contrasts of the white against blue everywhere in the room.
“Yeah, she bakes little bits of heaven too.” Jack dropped into the cozy overstuffed chair and watched as Evan made a circuit of the room, checking the few knick-knacks that were scattered about. “So, is Lorne a first name or last name?”
He looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Last. My first name is Evan. Hey, don’t move for a minute, okay?”
“Sure. Why?”
Evan was rummaging in his duffel bag and pulled out a sketch pad and his pencil case. “The light from the French doors is awesome, I want to sketch.”
~*~
Jack smiled and stayed where he was, in no hurry to do more than get to know the man he’d invited into his bed. The sketching might be a stalling tactic, to give Evan more time to do the same. He didn’t mind. He crossed one leg over the other and rested his wrist across his knee.
“So, where’s home?” Evan asked.
Jack shrugged. “I’m out of one at the moment. I was pretty comfortable in Cardiff until all the crap that went down. I’m at loose ends right now. Where’s home for you?”
“Atl… San Francisco, originally. I’ve been moving around a lot too; go where the job takes me.”
Letting the slip pass, Jack assumed that Lorne had been about to say Atlanta before he cut off. “I’m assuming you aren’t seeing anyone?”
“Nope. Free and easy. Been years since I was involved seriously, how about you?”
“I was. I lost him around the same time as I lost Cardiff. Been a while.”
“That sucks, I’m sorry.” Evan’s tongue poked out between his lips a he sketched.
He flipped several pages as he drew, moving from place to place in the room. “What kind of things do you acquire?” Lorne asked casually, making conversation, Jack assumed.
“Rare antiquities, occasionally a rare breed for a collector. I do a bit of security work as well here and there.”
They chatted about Niagara Falls, sightseeing in the states and abroad, and the weather for a while as Evan continued to wield his pencils. Jack chuckled as he pulled yet another different one from the case, sticking the one he had been using behind his ear. “Watch your bandage,” he advised.
“Oh, yeah, forgot about that.”
“You almost done drawing? I sort of want to kiss you,” Jack drawled, trailing a finger along the arm of the chair.
Lorne smirked and made one more line with a flourish, whipping the pencil across the paper. “For that, I can be done, right now.”
Climbing out of the chair, Jack crossed the room to stand right in front of Evan. He pulled the sketch pad from his hand and tossed it over to the seat he had just vacated. Gently, he clasped Evan’s face between his hands. He placed a gentle kiss over the bandage. “That just needed to be done, to make it get better sooner.”
Jack pressed his lips to Evan’s. The first kiss was quiet, sweet and calm, a taste, just a little taste before he leaned back and stared into Evan’s face. His thumbs rubbed small circles on Evan’s cheeks as he whispered, “Hello.”
“Hi,” Evan whispered back. He surged forward and caught Jack’s lips. The second kiss - not so sweet. Tongues intertwined and the fought for dominance, losing track of which of them was the aggressor. It seemed to be equal. There was a bit of laughter as they broke apart and slammed back to start again. Jack was relieved, he needed someone that could be playful, he needed light and happy. He was tired of being sad and lonely and very much over his brooding stage.
Jack nudged at Evan, urging him backwards towards the bed. They toppled backwards without breaking apart. When they did stop for breath, Jack leaned up on one elbow and asked, “You’re okay, no pain from the head?”
Grabbing at Jack’s shoulder to pull him back, Evan grunted, “I’m fine, really, I’ll let you know if I’m not, until then, no worries, deal?”
“Deal.”
~*~
By the time Evan regretfully left Niagara Falls to return to duty, he had a full sketchpad, recipes for three different types of muffins from the inn keeper and memories of a vacation romance to tide him over until his next leave. He and Jack exchanged addresses, both knowing they would probably never write, but it felt right to make the effort. Evan gave Jack his mother’s address in San Francisco. The address Jack gave him was in care of a friend of his, a Gwen Cooper in Wales. Jack claimed he had no current email account and Evan didn’t feel right offering his military email address and putting Jack in a position to possibly be investigated at some point in the future. All emails to Atlantis were scrutinized for security reasons.
When Atlantis returned to Pegasus, newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Lorne was still serving as Sheppard’s XO. His life returned to the usual routine of weirdness that was life on Atlantis.
AG-2 had a mission scheduled for a trading world, P84-322. Lorne was waiting impatiently in the Gate Room for their temporary fourth to show up. Their usual team member, David Parrish, had the flu and was sequestered in a corner of the infirmary in an effort to keep the contagion at a minimum. Lorne had drafted Lieutenant O’Neill to come along in his place. O’Neill was late. Cadman and Stackhouse were triple checking their weapons and TAC vests as Jon ran up to join them, muttering apologies.
Rolling his eyes, Lorne raised a hand and signaled to Chuck to dial the Gate. Once on the planet, it was a fairly simple meet up with their contact to arrange for the trade. It only took them about two hours to get everything settled and underway. “I’m thirsty,” Cadman said, holding her water bottle up and turning it upside down and shaking it to demonstrate.
Lorne pulled out his canteen and offered it to Cadman, but she pulled a face. “Ew! Colonel cooties, no thank you. I see a bar. I want something local and fresh.”
He let her get away with it because she was one of his best friends and if she really was thirsty she’d have taken his canteen. He wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Laura had dumped her own water purposely to have the excuse to hit the bar. He sighed with mock irritation and nodded, turning to follow her as she happily marched towards the local tavern.
“Stackhouse, stash that.” Lorne tossed his chin towards the P-90 Stacks had hooked to his TAC vest. The sergeant nodded and strapped the weapon to the side of his pack, still accessible if he needed it.
A friendly woman met them at the door and ushered them inside to a table. They ordered a round of ale and sat back to enjoy the drinks. When no server reappeared to refill their drinks or offer them food, Evan stood up and said, “I’ll go get these refilled.” He took Stack’s empty mug and his own and wove his way through the tables. He got to the bar and dropped the mugs on top of it.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he sensed someone staring at him. He looked around and had to clench his teeth firmly together to keep his jaw from dropping when he spotted someone that was very out of place. There was an empty stool between them, so Evan sat on it and turned towards the person that had to be a look alike. “Uhm…”
~*~
Jack had been astonished as he saw a man that looked very much like Evan Lorne making his way across the room to the bar. He looked Evan up and down, taking in the uniform. God, a uniform. His mouth started watering at the sight. He noted the patch on Evan’s sleeve; apparently, he was not based in Atlanta, Georgia as Jack had previously thought. He had heard rumors in his travels through this sector of the lost city of the ancients, and of Atlantis being inhabited and at the center of the fight against the Wraith. He’d started digging for information, out of curiosity, but information sources out here were few and far between. Jack didn’t have the backing of Torchwood here; he was left to his own devices to ferret out information.
He had heard drips and drabs about the Stargate program over the years, but never had any interactions with them, Torchwood kept him out of the loop on it. Jack was certain there were file cabinets full of data about the Stargate somewhere in a building with a security clearance outside his pay grade required to access.
“So,” Jack smiled broadly at Evan. “Security for a big firm, would that be the United States government, and the SGC?” He pointed at Evan’s jacket patches.
Ducking his head and grinning sheepishly, Evan nodded. “Yeah. And you, acquisitions of the exotic and antiquities?”
“Aliens loose on Earth, and alien tech. I’m with Torchwood.”
The bartender came over and picked up the mugs Lorne had dropped there. “Two more ales?”
“Yes, please.” Lorne slid some of the local currency across the bar and the man took it and left to fill the mugs.
Jack leaned close and dipped a finger under Lorne’s collar, slowly pulling up his dog tags. He squinted in the dim light at the raised writing, and then ran a finger over the letters. “Lieutenant Colonel?”
“Air Force.”
“I like your uniform.” Jack gave him a hot once over as he dropped the dog tags.
The bartender was coming back with the mugs, Jack noticed him just as he heard someone clear his throat behind them and say, “Is there a problem, Sir?”
Evan spun on his stool and gaped at the man for a moment. “No! No, Stackhouse, this is a friend. Jack, why don’t you come join my team at the table?”
Jack picked up his drink and slid from the bar stool. He held a hand out to the Sergeant. “Captain Jack Harkness.”
“Nathan Stackhouse.” He had a firm grip, Jack noticed.
When they go to the table, Evan introduced him to Captain Cadman and Lieutenant O’Neill. The rest of Evan’s team eyed Jack warily as he pulled up a chair and straddled it.
Lorne leaned back in his chair and gave Jack a curious glance. “How’d you get here, Jack?”
“Well, that is a funny story. I hitched a ride with some people I thought were friends, but they went and ditched me here when we stopped for supplies.”
“Can’t trust anybody these days.” O’Neill was giving him the stink eye as he made his casual remark and sipped at his ale. He might look like a kid, but Jack knew the eyes of experience when he saw them, and this was no green baby officer. He wondered what his story was.
“Some people. Not everyone is out to get you.” Jack sipped his drink and stared at Evan.
“Colonel, we should be going, we have a check in,” The little red head gave Evan a look as she kicked him under the table.
“I haven’t finished my ale yet,” Evan replied, sipping his drink slowly. “Neither has Stacks.”
She crossed her arms and sat back now splitting a glare between Jack and Evan. Jack decided he liked her, she was cute and spunky. If his focus was not Evan right now, he would probably go for her.
“If you want to go back and check in, I’m not stopping you, Cadman.”
“I’ll go with her.” O’Neill stood and dragged Cadman out of her chair by her jacket sleeve. “We’ll be back.”
“Going or staying?” Evan asked Stackhouse. Stackhouse leaned back in his chair and settled more comfortably. “Oh, I’m staying, I like your friend.”
“So do I.” Evan glared at Stackhouse and the message was clear to Jack, he was giving Stackhouse a ‘hands off’ warning. The sergeant just shrugged and smiled at his CO.
~*~
“What are you doing out here, Jack?” Evan asked.
Jack smiled, “At the moment? Being stranded.” He held up his wrist, revealing a device of some sort strapped to it. “My usual mode of transport is drained, no go for the moment.”
Thinking for a moment, Lorne reached up and tapped his earpiece. “Cadman, when you check in, ask Colonel Sheppard to have a Captain Jack Harkness from Torchwood cleared. Tell him he’s stranded and needs a lift.”
“Understood, Sir.” Cadman replied, and taking the opportunity to tease her friend, she added, “So, this guy is a good friend, huh? I caught the vibes, don’t deny it. He’s really pretty, Ev.”
“Uh huh.” He sipped his drink and replied as he stared at Jack, agreeing completely with Cadman that he was pretty, very pretty.
It took ten minutes for Cadman to call back with the all clear from Atlantis. They hadn’t even needed to contact the SGC for the clearance. McKay apparently had connections with Torchwood and knew enough about Harkness to vouch for him.
Jack gratefully accompanied them back to Atlantis. The Daedalus was out on the pier doing maintenance, and was scheduled to leave in two days. Jack Harkness had his ride back to Earth.
He was given a full check up by medical before being cleared for the nickel tour. Woolsey reluctantly granted Jack permission to see a little of the city before he was shipped home. Sheppard put him in Lorne’s custody. Sometimes, Lorne really loved his commanding officer.
After Jack had probably seen enough to satisfy his curiosity, met Rodney McKay and had a brief chat about the Canadian branches of Torchwood and people they both knew, Jack poked Evan in the ribs and whispered, “I want to see your quarters.”
“Oh, thank God. C’mon.” Relieved that the token tour was over, Lorne grabbed Jack’s wrist and dragged him to the nearest transporter.
Evan opened the door to his room and pushed Jack through. Once the door was closed, he fell into Jack’s arms, kissing him with the passion that had been slowly building since the moment their eyes had met in that tavern.
When Jack pulled back, Evan followed, trying to kiss him again. Jack held him back, a hand splayed on his chest. “Wait, wait. Please tell me you have your dress uniform with you.”
Confused, Evan nodded. “Yeah, why?”
“I love a man in uniform. I mean I really…” he punctuated his statement with kisses along Evan’s jaw and throat, “… really… really love a man in uniform.”
“Is that so?” Evan asked as Jack unbuttoned his shirt and nuzzled down his collarbone and pressed his face against Evan’s dog tags.
“Oh, yeah. Please?” Jack looked up at him, blue eyes pleading so earnestly that Evan had to laugh.
“Sure, why not. Does it have to be full kit, or will the jacket suffice?”
Jack looked him up and down, toes to nose and begged, “All of it. Please.”
Crossing to his closet, Evan began stripping out of his BDUs, tossing the clothing aside. He was in his boxers and t-shirt when he reached the closet. He paused, “Uhm, I can’t really get this all messed up, the dry cleaner is back in Colorado Springs, I’ve only got one set of dress blues with me.”
“I just wanna look, I swear, no touching until you’re naked.” Jack promised as he sat on the bed, folded his hands in his lap and watched Evan dress.
It was the first time Evan had ever dressed for a lover’s enjoyment, doing a reverse striptease. He pulled on his trousers and sat on the desk chair to put his dress shoes on. He slipped the pale blue dress shirt on. Tucking in his shirt, he draped his tie loosely around his neck, intending to do it last. The jacket, with all his proper insignia and medals pinned on fell perfectly across his shoulders. He had splurged and had it tailored on the last trip home to fit his shoulders more comfortably.
He propped his cap on his head and adjusted the angle. When he turned back towards the bed, Jack was right behind him. “Tie.” Jack reached out and picked up the tie and set it properly around his neck, tying it in a perfect knot. He then stepped back and sat on the bed again, staring at Evan. “Pretend I’m drawing you,” Jack told him breathlessly.
After a few minutes of intense scrutiny, Evan began to squirm nervously. “I’m not used to being the subject.”
“Shh, I’m memorizing.”
“Do you have email? I’ll send you a picture. I want to get out of this and get on with things.”
Jack laughed. “Okay, flyboy, strip, and make it good. Pants first.”
Toeing off his shoes, Evan took off his pants and hung them back on the hanger, he slowly pulled off the tie Jack had done up for him and looped it over a hanger. His jacket and shirt went back into the narrow closet. “Now that is a picture,” Jack laughed and pointed to Evan’s cap and then his boxers and white sport socks.
“Ha!” Evan dropped the cap on his desk and launched himself at Jack, flattening him against the mattress. He kissed Jack senseless for a few minutes, enjoying the way Jack’s hands roved all over his body.
Evan pulled up and away, bracing himself on his palms as he leaned over Jack, their faces only inches apart. He smirked and whispered, “Hello.”
“Hi,” Jack leaned up and caught Evan’s lips, then said, “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Evan returned and kissed Jack again. “So, uniforms do it for you, eh?”
“Love uniforms.” Jack wriggled under him. “Hot. You were sexy hot in that.” Jack rolled them over and proceeded to show Evan exactly how much of a turn on a man in uniform was for him.
~*~
Evan stood on the pier and watched the Daedalus leave. He tracked the ship until she disappeared in the upper atmosphere. He and Jack had said their farewells in private. It was now a fairly open secret in Atlantis that Lorne had a thing going with the guy from Torchwood, but Evan didn’t want to give any ammo to Caldwell or his crew. DADT was still in its death throes, Evan wanted to wait until the corpse was chilled a bit before he came out and danced naked on its grave.
“So, all good?” Sheppard said, rocking on his heels beside him.
“All good, Sir.”
“Was that your vacation hookup?” Sheppard asked. Lorne had confessed that he’d had a fling when Sheppard had pressed him about his goofy smiles and daydreaming in the office upon his return.
“Yeah.”
“Gonna see him again?”
“He mentioned putting in an application with the IOA for detached Torchwood duty to the SGC. We might see more of him in the future. I have leave in July. Don’t forget.”
Sheppard laughed. “I won’t forget. Tonight is movie night, Ronon picked some HBO series about swords and thrones or something like that someone downloaded from the data burst.”
“I’ll be there.” Evan’s mind was a million miles away, planning his next leave, he was thinking somewhere warm and sandy. And Jack. He was thinking Jack.