Being A Donaghy [30 Rock; Jack/Liz]
TITLE: Being A Donaghy
CHAPTER 14: The Smart One
FANDOM: 30 Rock
PAIRING: Jack/Liz
SPOILERS: Through "Corporate Crush"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
Liz managed to rush inside in enough time to pry Frank away from the wedding cake, but not before she got a face full of icing while wrestling the cake spatula away from him. Jack and Jenna came in after her two seconds too late, and while Jenna looked surprised (maybe that was still from witnessing the almost-kiss), Jack busted out laughing.
Liz glared at him and tried to lick the frosting off her lips (buttercream, awesome!), but more fell off her nose and landed on her bottom lip. "You think that's funny?"
Jack chuckled. "I'm sorry Lemon, but yes. I really do."
Liz wasn't sure exactly what came over her then. Fueled by her irritation at his laughter, and a mingling desire to (kind of) finish what was started outside, she marched up to him, grabbed his face, and pulled him down for a quick, but effective, frosting-filled kiss.
Jack barely reacted, hands touching her waist for a split-second before she pulled herself away. Jenna grabbed her arm then, eyes wide.
"Let's go clean you up!" And she dragged Liz off to the bathroom.
Once the door had swung shut behind them, Jenna let go of her arm and asked, "What has gotten into you, Liz?"
Liz shrugged. "What?"
"You and Jack, out in the gardens?" She raised her eyebrows. "And then just now? With the cake frosting?"
Liz shook her head and watched Jenna wet down a paper towel, handing it to her. She turned to watch herself wipe it off in the mirror as she responded quietly, "I don't know."
"Still?!" Jenna was beyond incredulous. "Liz, sweetie, I always thought you were so smart! But if you can't pick up on something and I can..." She paused thoughtfully. "Wow, maybe I've been the smart one all along!"
Liz rolled her eyes. "I can't explain what's going on in my head right now, Jenna, I'm sorry. I can't make head or tail of it."
"Well can you at least tell what's going on in Jack's head? Because that should be obvious."
She wrinkled her nose. "I think he loves me."
"Gee, what tipped you off?"
"When he said he was sorry for needing to kiss me."
Jenna's eyes just about popped out of her head with that one. "What?! He said that?"
Liz shrugged and wiped off the last smear of frosting on her cheek. "Not in so many words, but... kind of."
"Is that where I came in?"
"Yes." Liz tossed the wet paper towel over her shoulder and smiled triumphantly when it landed in the wastebasket.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Liz. I shouldn't have interrupted."
"It's fine, Jenna, really. I should actually thank you for doing that. Me and Jack... kissing..." she shook her head, "that would've been a really bad idea."
Jenna furrowed her eyebrows. "So... why'd you kiss him out there?"
Liz shrugged, nonchalance on her features as she opened the bathroom door and headed out, replying over her shoulder, "I just wanted to wipe the big stupid smile off his face." She never saw Jenna rolling her eyes behind her back as they returned to the ballroom.
Jack was just finishing wiping the frosting off his own face with the bartender's towel as Liz came in, and he turned to her with a smile. "Well played, Lemon," he congratulated her. "It almost seemed as if you..." he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes slightly, contemplating her, "wanted to do that."
Liz carefully ignored the butterflies going wild in her stomach (she really needed to see the doctor about that -- really) and tilted her head in the opposite direction, telling him, "You had it coming to you."
She watched his brows flick upward for a moment, and a smile twitched at the corner of his lips before he grasped her hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor wordlessly. As Frankie Valli started to lament, "You're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you," Jack pulled her into his arms and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I'll have to remember to be smug more often, then."
Liz wasn't sure how to take that. Was he flirting with her? Was he kidding? She smiled nervously and let him swing her around the dance floor. When the song became more up-tempo, horns blaring, Jack twirled her with the skill level of someone who'd taken years of ballroom dancing lessons. Another thing his mother did to him? She was totally going to ask him sometime. Liz was surprised she was able to keep up without falling on her face.
With a grin, Jack dipped her suddenly as the song swelled to the chorus and she giggled, bending easily with him. "I love you baby, and if it's quite alright, I need you baby to warm a lonely night..."
When he pulled her up she felt her headiness renewed as if she'd just downed two more glasses of champagne, and vowed to herself to just enjoy the rest of the night -- to take everything as it came. If Jack wanted to kiss her again in front of everyone, he could. If he was being a smug jackass about something, maybe she'd kiss him again in front of everyone to shut him up. Who cared? She could keep emotion out of it.
And who cared if Jack was smiling at her adoringly while he twirled her around and sang along to the lyrics, pulling her in tight at times and then sending her spinning moments later. Who cared if he hugged her close when the song finally faded and Elvis started in with "Can't Help Falling In Love"? And who cared if she instantly fit into him like a matching puzzle piece and rested her forehead on his shoulder again?
What did it matter if Jack rested his chin on her head and kind of tucked her into him? And what did it matter if his fingertips gently tickled her lower back? Who cared if she kinda liked feeling the vibration from his chest as he hummed the song? And what did it matter that this was the most comfortable she'd felt with anyone in a long time?
It didn't mean anything.
It couldn't possibly mean anything... right?
TBC
Songs referenced: Can't Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli, and Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley. Click the links to download!
{x-posted to 30_rock and jack_liz}
CHAPTER 14: The Smart One
FANDOM: 30 Rock
PAIRING: Jack/Liz
SPOILERS: Through "Corporate Crush"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
Liz managed to rush inside in enough time to pry Frank away from the wedding cake, but not before she got a face full of icing while wrestling the cake spatula away from him. Jack and Jenna came in after her two seconds too late, and while Jenna looked surprised (maybe that was still from witnessing the almost-kiss), Jack busted out laughing.
Liz glared at him and tried to lick the frosting off her lips (buttercream, awesome!), but more fell off her nose and landed on her bottom lip. "You think that's funny?"
Jack chuckled. "I'm sorry Lemon, but yes. I really do."
Liz wasn't sure exactly what came over her then. Fueled by her irritation at his laughter, and a mingling desire to (kind of) finish what was started outside, she marched up to him, grabbed his face, and pulled him down for a quick, but effective, frosting-filled kiss.
Jack barely reacted, hands touching her waist for a split-second before she pulled herself away. Jenna grabbed her arm then, eyes wide.
"Let's go clean you up!" And she dragged Liz off to the bathroom.
Once the door had swung shut behind them, Jenna let go of her arm and asked, "What has gotten into you, Liz?"
Liz shrugged. "What?"
"You and Jack, out in the gardens?" She raised her eyebrows. "And then just now? With the cake frosting?"
Liz shook her head and watched Jenna wet down a paper towel, handing it to her. She turned to watch herself wipe it off in the mirror as she responded quietly, "I don't know."
"Still?!" Jenna was beyond incredulous. "Liz, sweetie, I always thought you were so smart! But if you can't pick up on something and I can..." She paused thoughtfully. "Wow, maybe I've been the smart one all along!"
Liz rolled her eyes. "I can't explain what's going on in my head right now, Jenna, I'm sorry. I can't make head or tail of it."
"Well can you at least tell what's going on in Jack's head? Because that should be obvious."
She wrinkled her nose. "I think he loves me."
"Gee, what tipped you off?"
"When he said he was sorry for needing to kiss me."
Jenna's eyes just about popped out of her head with that one. "What?! He said that?"
Liz shrugged and wiped off the last smear of frosting on her cheek. "Not in so many words, but... kind of."
"Is that where I came in?"
"Yes." Liz tossed the wet paper towel over her shoulder and smiled triumphantly when it landed in the wastebasket.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Liz. I shouldn't have interrupted."
"It's fine, Jenna, really. I should actually thank you for doing that. Me and Jack... kissing..." she shook her head, "that would've been a really bad idea."
Jenna furrowed her eyebrows. "So... why'd you kiss him out there?"
Liz shrugged, nonchalance on her features as she opened the bathroom door and headed out, replying over her shoulder, "I just wanted to wipe the big stupid smile off his face." She never saw Jenna rolling her eyes behind her back as they returned to the ballroom.
Jack was just finishing wiping the frosting off his own face with the bartender's towel as Liz came in, and he turned to her with a smile. "Well played, Lemon," he congratulated her. "It almost seemed as if you..." he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes slightly, contemplating her, "wanted to do that."
Liz carefully ignored the butterflies going wild in her stomach (she really needed to see the doctor about that -- really) and tilted her head in the opposite direction, telling him, "You had it coming to you."
She watched his brows flick upward for a moment, and a smile twitched at the corner of his lips before he grasped her hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor wordlessly. As Frankie Valli started to lament, "You're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you," Jack pulled her into his arms and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I'll have to remember to be smug more often, then."
Liz wasn't sure how to take that. Was he flirting with her? Was he kidding? She smiled nervously and let him swing her around the dance floor. When the song became more up-tempo, horns blaring, Jack twirled her with the skill level of someone who'd taken years of ballroom dancing lessons. Another thing his mother did to him? She was totally going to ask him sometime. Liz was surprised she was able to keep up without falling on her face.
With a grin, Jack dipped her suddenly as the song swelled to the chorus and she giggled, bending easily with him. "I love you baby, and if it's quite alright, I need you baby to warm a lonely night..."
When he pulled her up she felt her headiness renewed as if she'd just downed two more glasses of champagne, and vowed to herself to just enjoy the rest of the night -- to take everything as it came. If Jack wanted to kiss her again in front of everyone, he could. If he was being a smug jackass about something, maybe she'd kiss him again in front of everyone to shut him up. Who cared? She could keep emotion out of it.
And who cared if Jack was smiling at her adoringly while he twirled her around and sang along to the lyrics, pulling her in tight at times and then sending her spinning moments later. Who cared if he hugged her close when the song finally faded and Elvis started in with "Can't Help Falling In Love"? And who cared if she instantly fit into him like a matching puzzle piece and rested her forehead on his shoulder again?
What did it matter if Jack rested his chin on her head and kind of tucked her into him? And what did it matter if his fingertips gently tickled her lower back? Who cared if she kinda liked feeling the vibration from his chest as he hummed the song? And what did it matter that this was the most comfortable she'd felt with anyone in a long time?
It didn't mean anything.
It couldn't possibly mean anything... right?
TBC
Songs referenced: Can't Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli, and Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley. Click the links to download!
{x-posted to 30_rock and jack_liz}