Why have I written this?
I don't know… Perhaps I've spent too much time playing games... However, the idea came to me and then simply refused to leave. This was the only way I could deal with it.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, none of them. We have to thank Naughty Dog and Sony Computer Entertainment for them, I'm afraid.
Warning: Malexmale, nothing too explicit though. And some spoilers, if you haven't played the games.
Raiting M just in case + for possible future chapters.
The bar was noisy and stuffy. People were crowding the dance floor and the smell of sweat lay heavy in the air. Torn was glad he wasn't out there, but that he sat safely tucked away in one of the booths at the Naughty Ottsel. Ashelin had tried pulling him out of there at first, saying it would do him good to let loose and join the others in their celebration, however, she had eventually grown tired of his stubborn persistence and left him to his own devices.
Of course the red haired man was pleased that they had survived their last ordeal, and not perished at the hands of such a lazy man as Krew. Still, this didn't mean he had to go crazy on a dance floor. Torn preferred the company of himself, thus the choice to spend the evening in a booth, silently sipping a drink or two and minding his own business, suited him perfectly. This was what celebration meant for the tattooed man.
An hour or two into the night, and a remarkably higher number of drinks later, way more than the one or two he had planned to limit his consumption to, something rather unexpected happened. Jinx, off all persons, slipped into the seat opposite of Torn.
At the arrival of the other Torn looked up from his drink slightly, but chose to remain quiet. He didn't really feel like communicating with anyone, Jinx in particular. The blond man seemed to be unaware of Torn's wishes though, starting up a conversation as soon as he had seated himself comfortably.
"So, good thing ya didn't all die, huh?" Jinx started happily. A slight slur mingled in his voice, but only very slight, so Torn suspected the blond wasn't all too drunk. Not yet at least. Quite a shame really, as he probably would have been easier to get rid of if hammered.
"Mm, I suppose" Torn mumbled, trying his best to convey his disinterest by drilling holes into the table with his eyes.
It seemed to have about half of the desired effect. Jinx actually remained quiet, only sending a slightly perplexed look the redhead's way, but he showed no signs of leaving. It didn't matter much though, as Torn was sure he could wait the blond out. Jinx would surely grow disinterested sooner or later, similarly to Ashelin, or so he had thought. No matter how long he waited though, the blond stayed put, and the whole situation proved a lot more frustrating than Torn had imagined. Had he had nothing to drink Torn was sure of that he'd be more level-headed, but one big torn in his pride was the fact that he had never been too strong when it came to alcohol; a fact he would never willingly admit to anyone, but true nonetheless. Tonight though, he'd figured it would be safe to drink, as everyone else was just as generous on the intoxicating drink as he, but apparently he had been wrong.
The silence, usually his closet friend, was now unnerving. He glanced up at the bomber, who sat comfortably leant back towards the backrest, lazily glancing out at the dancing masses. That was until he noticed he was being watched. This caused the man to grin slightly, and turn his gaze towards the ex-guard.
"So, shouldn't you be celebrating with the others?" Jinx asked, eyeing Torn from behind the rim of his stoup of beer.
"Well," the tattooed man started, gesturing at the bar and the dance floor connected to it "technically I am"
"Whatever man" Jinx laughed and turned his attention back to his beer. In one sweeping movement he downed the remaining of his drink, his Adam's apple bobbing curiously as he swallowed the malty liquid. Torn hadn't even noticed he'd been staring at it before Jinx rose and walked away from the table, effectively putting an end to the redhead's silly pastime. Strangely distraught by this loss Torn simultaneously felt pleased, as he now finally was rid of the intrusive blond.
However, it wasn't for long that the tattooed man was able to join his solitude. Within minutes Jinx was back at the table, this time with two drinks in hand; one of which he placed in front of Torn. The commander regarded the drink warily before he turned his blue eyes towards Jinx, giving him a sceptic look. The blond shrugged and grinned foolishly.
"You just looked like you needed one" he laughed, and now it was Torn's turn to shrug. He wasn't a man to turn down a free drink though, not in a drunken state at least, so he mumbled a thanks and pulled the glass closer yet to himself.
Lifting the glass to his lips the ex-guard looked out over the dance floor, and he immediately spotted the other tattooed redhead. It wasn't as if he was looking for her, but his eyes just seemed to seek her out whenever they saw fit. Maybe they were just accustomed to doing so, Torn couldn't really tell. Anyhow, he couldn't deny Ashelin was quite the hot package, and he was apparently not the only guy to think so. Ashelin was namely busy mingling with some other guy's tongue, and he couldn't seem to get enough of her either, greedily deepening the kiss as he was.
Torn looked away, and it didn't go unnoticed by Jinx.
"So, I though you and Ashelin had a thing"
"Oh, nah… didn't work out, never has" the red haired man muttered.
"I see"
Torn interpreted the blond's raised eyebrows as a sign of slight surprise, however, he was glad Jinx hadn't press the matter further. The blond had seemed content with whatever answer given to him, and had simply returned to quietly sipping his drink while looking at the dancing crowd and their crazy moves.
"Looks like they are havin' fun" the blond remarked a while later, absentmindedly scratching his bristly chin. Torn was unsure of whether it was Ashelin he referred to, or the people in general, but he settled for the latter option, dryly pointing out that Jinx was free to join them. Despite the bitter comment, which had really only been a nice way to ask the blond to leave, Jinx remained put.
"Nah, I'm fine just here" he had stated, and after having nonchalantly taken another mouthful of his newly bought drink Jinx had turned his eyes back towards the dance floor.
As he was used to his remarks having an immediate effect the blond's indifference struck Torn as rather annoying; after all he was supposed to be the king of sarcastic comebacks. No one should be able to walk away from him with a smile on their lips had he not allowed it.
On the other hand he also found Jinx's stable mood quite admirable; it wasn't everyday he met people like that, very seldom as of lately. Thinking even more of it Torn reached the conclusion that part of his frustration might even be rooted in jealousy, as he himself was prone to lose his temper; a quality that sadly didn't always work in his favour. When it came to Jinx though, it seemed he could keep his smug expression in place no matter what, even now… and so it was that the tattooed man caught himself staring at the older man, again.
"I see blondie's finally hit it with that girl" the bomber suddenly exclaimed, braking out into a wide smile. Torn glanced in the direction Jinx was looking, and sure there stood Jak, his lips locked with Kiera's.
"Hmm, yeah. It was about time anyway"
Jinx laughed a little and made a remark about how people were saying the same about Torn and Ashelin, too; a comment that made Torn rather uncomfortable. Letting out a big sigh he gulped down whatever drink Jinx had offered him earlier.
"Look, we tried a relationship and failed at it. Twice." Torn grunted, making sure to emphasise the last word. "Three times even, if you count what happened in KG" he quickly added, exasperated. He just couldn't comprehend why this one topic had to come up time and time again. His and Asheiln's relationship was not anything anybody else needed to worry about, but no one else seemed to realise that.
"Sorry for bringing it up" the blond offered.
Torn grunted something inaudible, showing that he had acknowledged the other's excuse. Also, after a few more mouthfuls of alcohol, and some time to reflect and regret his previous fit of anger, he apologetically added something about him and Ashelin being better of as friends anyway.
"If you say so" the blond replied.
For once Jinx didn't argue, something he otherwise seemed to enjoy doing with the ex-guard, and Torn was rather happy about that. He didn't want to discuss all the mistakes and shortcomings that were involved in this particular relationship only to prove, again, why the two of them didn't fit together. As colleagues they got along perfectly fine, maybe even as friends, but they simply weren't cut out to be a couple. However similar they might be in appearance, and even though their values resembled one another's, something always went wrong when the two took it to a romantic level.
"So, has there been anyone else?"
Torn's first reaction had been to laugh, although it had come out as more of a snort than an actual laugh. Why would Jinx even ask such a question, and why should he be obliged to answer? But all while thoughts like these occupied his brain his mouth was already revealing the truth.
"There was this guy in the guards, but, our perspectives on the future were just too different… a shame really, we got along well"
Drinking definitely gave him loose lips, now that Torn had been aware of, but that it would escalate to this degree... How much had he had to drink? This was personal information, not just something to be spilled to the first person who asked! Jinx hadn't seemed the least bit bothered though, he had just produced a humming sound before resuming his silent observation of the dance floor. And Torn, he continued his silent observation, too, but not of the dance floor.
"So, wanna celebrate with me tonight?" Jinx suddenly asked.
"What?" the redhead exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. What was the blond getting at, because he surely couldn't mean it like that, could he? Torn's brain was working hectically, but it still didn't managed to reach a conclusion, leading way for a long and awkward silence.
"Another drink?" the ex-guard finally managed, and before Jinx had even had the time to answer Torn found himself staggering over to the bar disk. He had to get away; away from Jinx but also from his own agitation.
He almost fell twice on his way to the bar, and reaching it he had to lean heavily against the disk to maintain balance. How he was to make it back to the table without spilling his drinks, well he'd have to figure that out later as more pressing matters were currently eating away at his brain capacity. Had Jinx really indicated that the two of them should hook up for the night? Or was it just he who was overanalysing? He didn't know which outcome would be more disappointing either…
Where was that damn ottsel when you needed him anyway?! Irritation was quickly gaining the upper hand and Torn grew more peevish by the second. He wanted no more than to get a god damn drink, was it so much to ask for?
Finally the tattooed man spotted the orange creature, making out with Tess, of course, what else would he have been up to? Actually, everyone seemed strangely eager on exchanging saliva tonight, a pretty disturbing way to show your appreciation for still being alive, thought Torn, but decided to keep this to himself. He roared at Daxter to quit fooling around and make him a couple of drinks, the faster the better, because standing upright made him feel slightly nauseous. Also, there was the fact that he was way more bothered by the make out session than he should have been, but to this Torn chose to pay little notice.
A few minutes later he was back at the booth, where else was he to go? He sat down and pushed one of the overpriced drinks, Torn was absolutely sure Daxter had made him pay more than they were worth because he had dared to interrupt his heated moment, towards Jinx. The blond nodded appreciatively, but otherwise remained quiet. He neither continued the previous conversation nor brought up a new topic, making it painfully clear that it was Torn who was in charge of the situation. The redhead though found himself at a crossroad, unsure of both what he wanted and of what Jinx had meant, hell, he wasn't even certain he wanted to know.
"So..." the redhead started hesitantly, unsure of what direction to choose for their conversation. It was a strange mix of curiosity and discomfort. In the end he found he lacked the will, or was it courage, to find out the true meaning of Jinx's statement, and the thus he settled on a simpler question.
"What about you?"
"What about me?" Jinx echoed, knitting his eyebrows as he tried to pinpoint what it was that Torn was referring too.
"No significant others?" the tattooed man clarified, impatiently tapping his fingers on the surface of the wooden table.
"No, then I wouldn't have asked you, would I?" Jinx stated matter-of-factly, his slight grin never quite leaving his face, not even as Torn jerked back just a little in his seat. Although he had suspected this was the case he hadn't expected the blond bomber to be quite so straightforward, and it was only just that he managed to keep himself from choking on his drink.
"There has been a few though" Jinx muttered, downing some of the brown liquor that had been given to him.
The ex-guard couldn't help but find the statement hard to believe, it didn't suit his mental image of the blond, and, unwillingly, he found himself trying to figure out what kind of person would chose a man like Jinx. Not that he actually had any right to judge, because when it came to it he didn't know that much about the bomber, so there was no telling if he had some redeeming qualities. But, still… it was Jinx for crying out loud! An obnoxiously loud, rude and vulgar man… whom he had spent all night with.
The clinking sound of Jinx putting down his empty glass effectively tore the tattooed man out of his inner world, and blue eyes were once more sought out the blond. Jinx had gotten out of his seat, and at first Torn only thought he was out to get another drink. However, as Jinx wishes him a good remainder of the evening the commander realised this was not the case.
This gave rise to a sudden eruption of feelings. Frustration, curiosity, repulsion, disappointment, lust… His head was swimming and his vision was blurry. Torn knew he had drunk far more than his fair share, and he knew he should work against his impulses, but his impulse control seemed to have conveniently malfunctioned.
"Wait" Torn called out.
To his surprise he was already on his feet, stumbling after the blond who had made it a few steps away from their shared booth. The tattooed man wasn't too sure what had possessed him to act out like this, but perhaps he wanted to celebrate too, just a little. Celebrate that he was still alive. Whatever was controlling him though, had Jinx halting his stride, turning his head so that he was able to look at the younger man.
"I think I'll take you up on that offer" Torn breathed, his voice barely high enough to carry through the noisy bar. However, Jinx seemed to have no problem catching what he had said, or at least that was how Torn interpreted the wolfish grin that spread across the blond's features.
"Sure, just tag along, tattooed wonder"
So, that's it for now.
Thank you for reading!
And this couple, don't ask me, but one day I was just like, yeah, TornxJinx, that'd be totally awesome!
I actually have more material I could follow up with, but I don't know.
Is this a go, or a no go? What do you think?
I might rewrite this first chapter somewhat if I decide to keep going, but I wanted some opinions, fast, so I decided to just let it be like this for the time being. Sorry for all the mistakes and the sloppy use of language!