"Dammit kid, hurry up already!" Jarvis demanded as he watched Jack struggle to scoop up a red lily like flower. The sun was just beginning to set in the Elf region and the gentle sounds of lapping water are soon accompanied by those of crickets and frogs. Not far off Daniel was gleefully chasing lightning bugs, catching them in his hands only to let them free a moment later.
"I'm trying! Dennis said the last one died because I cut off most of the roots." Jack fought back, using his the tip of his sword to loosen the soil around the plant. "I was lucky we had another job out here. I don't wanna go out of my way to do this again all because I rushed it." Jarvis flinches when Jack doesn't plant his sword deep enough in the ground and slips as he tries to loosen the earth.
"Jeez Jack, you're gonna cut yourself. Didn't anyone teach you basic safety." Jarvis discards his gauntlets and drops down to his knees on the other side of the plant. "Here let me help, the sooner this is done, the sooner I get my after work drink."
"Of course that's what you're motivated by." Jack drops his sword and helps Jarvis dig around the plants delicate roots.
"Oh shut it." It doesn't take much longer before they've dug a deep enough trench to safely remove the blossom with minimal damage.
"There." Jarvis huffs as he pulls and twists the Evening Bloom out of the ground and hands it off to Jack. "What's so great about this flower anyway?" As if on cue, the pointed red petals of the flower begin to open. A soft white glow emits from the flowers stamen, causing the petals to glow like a small red lantern. Jarvis' expression softens in wonderment, having never seen something quite like it before.
"It's so cool isn't it. Pretty to I guess." Jarvis' eyes shift up to look at Jack and suddenly he feels like he can't breath. Jack is smiling down at the flower in his hands, face illuminated from bellow by its light. Something in his chest clenches painfully as he stares a little too hard at how the boy's soft rounded features are accented by the pink tinted glow. The increasing number of blinking firefly's add to the picturesque scene.
"Hey, Sarge." Jarvis blinks, just now noticing the boy's once beaming smile is now replaced by a look of uncomfortable confusion. "You okay there?"
"Huh?" Jarvis realizes he had started leaning forward slightly, hands propped against the ground for balance. Embarrassment burns across his face when he fully realizes what he had been intending to do. That had never been something he wanted before, not form Jack anyway. What on earth would posses him to want to kiss his vacuous subordinate.
"You were just kinda spacing out there. And now you're face is red." Jack says, expression slowly shifting to one of suspicion. "You didn't sneak some kind of alcohol on this mission did you."
"What!? Don't be ridiculous. I wouldn't drink while on the job." He shoots to a standing position and immediately turns away to hid as much of his embarrassment as he can. "Let's just go already. Daniel! We're leaving." He trudges away after Daniel, leaving Jack still kneeling on the ground and wondering what that awestruck expression on the older mans face had been about.