Written as a birthday present for my practical sisters, Wapomeo Huntress. Em, I hope you like it. You deserve the best and I only hope this will suffice. Sorry it's a little late, but I hope you enjoy it regardless.
I stole Kiran for this, but I own nothing.
"Pull over. Let me drive for a while."
"Jack, I'm fine," Kiran insisted, though her entire body protested and all she really wanted was to go in the back of the van, curl up, and take a nap.
"Kiran…" Jack said, his American accent drawing out and proving just how annoyed he was getting at her. Well, too bad. They had a job to do, after all, and somebody had to drive them. Then, as if by reading her thoughts:
"Pull over, please? Just take a nap until we get there." She turned to look at him and found that she couldn't resist those puppy-dog eyes.
Kiran sighed as she pulled them to the shoulder of the road. "The things I do for you…"
As they got out and switched places she didn't notice the smile etched on his face.
"It reminded me of you."
When she looked up from the pile of paperwork that Owen had dumped on her desk, she saw Jack holding a flower. It was blue like her fringe and fragile-looking like she felt on occasion and really, really pretty. Jack was holding it out to her with a sincere grin.
All she could say was: "For me?"
Jack nodded. "I liked it. I thought you would too."
"No, no, it's my treat."
Jack practically snatched the money out of her hand when she tried to pay for the pizza.
"Oh, no. Torchwood rules – I pay for the food," he'd insisted afterwards when he'd given her back the cash. She'd of course rolled her eyes – she knew it was bullshit, but at the same time sweet.
"Come here. Let me fix it."
Kiran had let out a string of curses when she'd tripped over something and now Jack was kneeling over her with a concerned expression.
"I'm fine. Sorry, didn't see it."
"Don't worry about that. Let me help you," Jack had said, offering her a hand which she took after only a moment's hesitation. "Things can be replaced – people can't. No one knows that better than me."
"I'll walk you home."
They had worked late that night, filing and putting everything into order and Kiran was on her way out the door when she was joined by Jack.
"You do realize I'm perfectly capable of getting home by myself, right?" she asked with a small smirk.
"Of course," Jack replied. "Maybe I just like spending time with you when there's nothing around trying to kill us."
She smiled. "Can't argue with that. I like it, too."
"Have a good day at work."
They'd have to split up to take this one down. There was no way around it, despite how much Jack disliked it, so he'd divided up the teams and kept a grin on his face for Kiran's sake. The comment was meant to assuage any fears she might have, though he knew that his Kiran, his little orphan, would be fine. Pity the foes that ran across her.
"I dreamt about you last night."
His words catch her a bit off-guard, though she tries not to visibly show it. A smirk appears on her lips. "Oh really?"
"Yeah. More like memories, really."
She holds up her glass of scotch in the air like a toast. "Then here's to making more."
"Take my seat."
She'd been on her feet for hours shuffling paperwork back and forth between Ianto and Gwen and Owen and Tosh, and damn was she tired, though she refused to show it. Jack's words cut like a knife through the busy atmosphere of the hub and she has to blink before she realizes what he wants.
"You sure?"
"Of course. I need to stretch my legs anyways." It was a lie, she knew that right away, but she wasn't going to turn down the offer to give her feet a rest. She sat down, putting her feet up on his desk, and Jack just smiled.
"I saved a piece for you."
Jack held out the container that held the piece of cake from the birthday party for Gwen's kid that Kiran had been forced to miss due to yet another job. It was getting a bit ridiculous, but the sight of Jack holding out the cake to her like a small child was quite amusing.
"Thanks."
"Not a problem."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
He sat with her on the anniversary of the death of her brother. They weren't doing anything, not even talking, but he knew it was enough for her. After a while Kiran sighed and leaned back so her head was against his shoulder, and Jack wrapped an arm around her. It was all the comforting he had to do for her to know that he was there for you.
"You can have half."
Their arguments tended to be over silly things, now that she thought about it. Yet Jack's solutions were so obvious that fighting over a fucking cookie seemed like the stupidest thing in the world. Though when your job was catching aliens, you had to get joy from the little things, she supposed.
"Take my jacket, it's cold outside."
Kiran had squirmed when Jack tried to put his trench coat on her, but he had insisted.
"I'm not a child!" she'd protested, despite how comfy she found the coat to be.
"Of course not," he'd replied with a smile. "You're my little orphan, and I'm taking care of you because someone has to."
She'd sighed and put on the coat. She was sure she wouldn't hear the end of this from Owen.
"Sorry I'm late."
She'd never admit it, but he had really scared her this time. He came back to the hub late, and it was all she could do when he announced himself not to run over and throw her arms around him.
Instead she said, "What kept you?" and he smiled back that classic Jack smile.
"You were worried about me! I knew you cared."
"No I wasn't," she mumbled – they both knew that she was lying but Jack didn't call her out on it. He just proceeded as normal and she was grateful.
"Can I have this dance?"
The idea was risky and stupid and oh so very Jack that Kiran couldn't resist, and that's how they'd ended up standing on a spaceship that was floating in the air above London. Big Ben was their anchor point of sorts as they danced and Kiran couldn't keep from laughing. The glee on Jack's face as they twirled around the starlit sky was enough to prove to her that, yes, this was very much worth it.
"I made your favorite."
Kiran had passed out at her desk and awoke to the smell of coffee being brewed. She pushed some hair out of her face and stood to find Jack standing at the pot.
"Figured you'd want some," he said, holding up a mug that was ready for her. She took a tentative sip and found that it already had creamer in it. Perfect.
"It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyways."
It was her nightmares that woke her again – violent memories of times past and things she tried and failed to forget. Normally she never screamed but that night it was too much and she couldn't contain her shriek as she woke up. Waking up in the Torchwood hub was always interesting, but this time Jack had rushed over, watching her with concern.
"Kiran?" he asked. "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing," she found herself saying. "Just a dream. Sorry for waking you."
He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep anyways." He then proceeded to sit on the couch next to her and pull her into arms, which she didn't fight. It was comforting and familiar, and at this point it was home.
"Watch your step."
"Easy, Kir," Jack said, grabbing her arm before she almost took the last step and fell face-first onto the pavement. She'd gone with so little sleep the night before that she had nearly missed it entirely.
"Thanks," she said, yawning and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her free hand.
"Here, drink this. You'll feel better."
Kiran did not like being sick. She felt useless and like a waste of space, which was never a good feeling. There was only one thing that made her feel better, and that thing was at the moment making her a mug of hot cocoa.
Jack came back with a steaming mug of the chocolate nectar, marshmallows already dropped in at her discretion. He carefully handed her the mug and waited while she took a sip.
"How is it?"
She managed a smile. "Perfect."
"Can I hold your hand?"
It wasn't very often that Kiran got scared. Ghosts, specifically those that she knew, were the one thing that would do it. Jack offered her a hand as they approached the cemetery where Rydon was buried, which she took immediately. They laid the flowers at his grave, and her hand did not leave his once.
"You can borrow mine."
Her weapon broken in the last fight, Kiran was frantically looking for a replacement until Ianto could fix it. Which is why she was so surprised when Jack walked over upon hearing her predicament and held out his own weapon of choice.
"Jack, I couldn't. You need it," Kiran said, grateful yet wary.
"Trust me, my little orphan, I can spare a few days without it. You need it more," he replied, handing her the weapon without another word and walking off, leaving her unsure whether or not to curse or thank him.
"You might like this."
She walked into the hub to find loud music playing. Normally it would be quiet because they would be focusing, but none of her usual coworkers were present. Well, there was the usual exception.
Jack was leaning against the counter as the stereo played music that she liked. When she asked why, he shrugged.
"Just felt like listening to it."
"It's not heavy. I'm stronger than I look."
Kiran had to stifle a laugh as she watched Jack struggle. "You sure you don't want help?"
"I'm sure," he said, though he still could barely lift the damn crate. She rolled her eyes and went to the other side of it.
"Let me help, Jack."
He pretended to look annoyed. "Fine."
"I'll wait."
Jack was used to Kiran being arguably fashionably late, and he never complained. Why should he? She worked at her own pace, and in the end, even if he could die there was no one he would trust his life to more. When she did show up with that smirk directed right at him, he could handle anything thrown at him with that memory alone.
"Just because."
That was his reason for a lot of things – the flowers he bought for her to put on Rydon's grave, and the ones he placed in her hair. The pizzas he ordered with all her favorite toppings, and the mountains of soda cans they went through talking and looking at the sky. It was his favorite reason in the world.
"Look both ways."
Maybe it was because of all the people he had seen pass on with things still left unsaid and he didn't want her to become one of them. Kiran wasn't sure for Jack's reasoning, but his reminder every time she went out on a job soon became a cherished part of their routine. It was important because it reminded her that things could be normal and stay that way. And when your job is hunting aliens, she really needed that.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
Their real fights were few and far-between, but when they did happen they hurt like a bitch. Jack had gotten a bit too drunk and had said harsh things about Rydon, and Kiran would not stand for that. She'd left that instant and he had had to track her down, apologizing because he really, truly did not mean it.
Luckily, she knew him well enough to know that it was true.
"Try some."
Jack offered his plate to her, tilting his head almost like a puppy.
"I'm good, thanks," Kiran said.
"Just try a bite! Trust me," he said. She rolled her eyes and did as he requested.
She found that it was really good – not that she'd admit to him. She'd never hear the end of it.
"Drive safely."
His words were punctuated with a peck on the forehead that made Kiran turn pink. She mumbled back, "Yeah, okay. See you, Jack," and he'd smiled that Jack smile and headed back to the hub.
Damn him for making her act like this!
"Well, what do you want to do?"
They were the only ones at the hub that night – Gwen was out with Rhys, Owen was probably getting drunk somewhere and who knew what Tosh was up to – so they sat together on the couch after a quiet day, trying to figure out how to spend the evening. Eventually Kiran suggested a movie marathon, so they curled up and worked their way through as many of the classics as they could before one of them passed out.
"One more chapter."
There was something intoxicating about the way Jack sounded when he read to her – maybe it was his American accent, familiar yet so different to anything she was used to from living in the UK for so long. All it took was her asking and he would read anything she wanted, just so she could hear his voice. And who was he to complain?
"Don't worry about me."
No matter how many times he repeated that phrase she would never, ever not worry when he was late getting back. Jack was so unpredictable – for all she knew he could have left and gone to another planet without telling her. It was stressful and infuriating, yet Jack always came back.
And damn was she glad.
"It looks good on you."
Kiran turned to see Jack standing in the doorframe. She was wearing a dress only because she had to – Gwen's orders, and you didn't disobey her – and she had been standing in front of the mirror looking at her reflection. She had just been thinking that maybe this wasn't such a good idea when Jack had shown up, alleviating her fears in the way that only he could.
"Close your eyes and hold out your hand."
Kiran had learned very quickly after meeting Jack that he usually had something up his sleeve. So naturally his words caused her to raise her eyebrows.
"Come on, just trust me!" he said, looking a little bit hurt that she was skeptical of his intentions. She sighed and did as he asked and felt him place something in her hand. She couldn't tell what it was just from the shape, but when she opened her eyes she saw it was a CD in its case.
"This was Rydon's. He used to listen to it all the time. Had all his favorites on it, and I thought you'd like it," Jack said.
She thanked him with a grin and a hug.
"That's okay, I bought two."
Kiran was not by nature a clumsy person. Maybe today was just an off day?
Or that was what she thought before she tripped and stumbled into Jack, spilling the cup of coffee he was holding.
"Fucking hell…" she muttered. Then she looked at him. "Sorry about that, Jack. Don't know what's gotten into me today."
He just smiled and held out the one he hadn't dropped. "It was for you, but I'm glad I sprang for the second one."
"After you."
Despite his aptitude for flirting, Jack could be a gentleman when he wanted to be.
He held the door for Kiran and she smiled. "Manners maketh man, huh? Oxford, not Brogues and all that?"
Jack chuckled, understanding the reference. "I am, first and foremost, a gentleman."
"We'll figure it out."
Torchwood was dissolving right in front of her and Kiran couldn't do a thing to stop it. Owen and Tosh both dead and they couldn't contact Gwen, who had likely gone into hiding with Rhys. Not that Kiran blamed her – she had a family to worry about. Kiran….had nothing. Torchwood was her everything, and now she couldn't even save it.
Jack placed a hand on her shoulder as a gentle reminder that she wasn't alone.
"Can I kiss you?"
The question had come up while they were dancing, and because she was so used to Jack just being Jack that she jokingly said yes, not expecting him to actually follow through even though she knew him so well. It was unexpected and messy, but somehow so very them that Kiran couldn't help but fall into it. Yeah, she could get used to this.
"I like your laugh."
She had spent the afternoon joking around with Gwen, Tosh, and Owen and came back to the hub out of breath from laughing so hard. When she rounded a corner and saw Jack, standing there smiling at her, she was still grinning from ear-to-ear.
"What's got you so happy?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I just am."
"Good."
"Don't cry."
Kiran had been curled up on the couch for a while having a good, solid cry when Jack approached her. He silently sat down next to her and she didn't fight as he pulled her into his arms. He just held her, rubbing her back soothingly as she sobbed into his jacket because he knew the best way to help her was to just remind her that she would never, ever be alone.
"I made this for you."
He held out the trench coat to her, a smaller replica of his that would actually fit her and Kiran buried her face in the material. Already she could smell him in it, and that was good because it was cozy and she knew she'd wear it all the time.
"Go back to sleep."
It was yet another night where Kiran had fallen asleep at her desk, but this time she woke up to Jack carrying her bridal-style over to the couch. She squirmed in his grasp but he just chuckled.
"I've got you," he said as he set her down on the couch and put a blanket over her. Kiran was content, especially when he sealed it with a kiss on the forehead.
"Is this okay?"
Kiran had gotten so used to using Jack's weapon of choice that she'd almost forgotten that he had promised to fix hers. It was a surprise when he came up to her a few weeks later with her old weapon in pristine condition, and with a few upgrades.
She beamed at the sight, though she almost didn't want to give Jack's back since she had gotten so attached to it. It was like carrying around a little piece of him even when he wasn't there, and she liked that.
Apparently Jack understood without her saying anything, since he started to use her old weapon, so they each had a piece of each other to protect them.
"I picked these for you."
He practically thrust the bouquet at her, and Kiran looked up from her work in surprise.
"What're these for?" she asked.
"I thought you might like them," was his response with a shrug. She took them with a small smile.
"I'll drive you to the hospital."
She was bleeding. Oh, god, so much blood. They didn't have the capability to handle it back at the hub, so Jack worked on autopilot and picked Kiran up, bridal-style for convenience, and took her back to the SUV.
"I've got you, Kir," he repeated as he put her in the passenger's seat, as he drove them through all of the green lights on the way there. "I've got you."
"What do you want to watch?"
Kiran was a sucker for movie marathons. There was just something so comforting about them. So naturally whenever Jack asked that question, she jumped on the chance. Sometimes they started with Disney and made their way down the list; sometimes it was The Princess Bride, because she could quote it all the way through; sometimes they started with whatever was at the top of the pile but it was always her choice.
"You can go first."
Of course the latest alien threat would make its home in the sewers.
Nobody was thrilled to go down there, but Kiran found herself giving Jack a glare when he suggested that she be the first one down. He simply responded with a cheeky grin.
Then again…their formation did end up coming in handy when they were attacked…. But Kiran would never admit that.
"Did you get my letter?"
Kiran's return to Torchwood was bittersweet. After so many years and so many deaths, there wasn't a lot left to greet her. Jack and Gwen were basically all that was left. So Jack's question cut through her like a knife. What fucking letter?
She found it in the junk pile of mail in her apartment a few weeks later. Apparently it had been sent a few days after Jack had returned to Earth. It listed all of his regrets, his apologies to her and most importantly, how much he just wanted to see her one more time.
Well, he wasn't going to get away from her that easily.
"I'll do it for you."
When Jack suggested that they use the Resurrection Glove on Rydon's corpse, she thought he was crazy. It couldn't work. He had died too long ago….right? It was supposed to only work on the newly deceased, but if Jack used it…. Would it be possible that he could revive Rydon and still survive? Apparently he was crazy enough to try.
When Jack went to try, Kiran stopped him. "Jack, please. I appreciate it, but I made my peace with Rydon a long time ago. Don't risk it."
"But –"
"I don't want to risk anything happening to you. I….don't think I could go through that pain again."
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright. For you."
"Call me when you get home."
His instructions were clear, but Kiran didn't get why it was such a big deal until Gwen explained it. Sure, the Weevils had always been an issue. That probably wouldn't change anytime soon. However, the fact that he was so concerned about her was surprising.
Gwen explained it that Jack cared for everyone who worked with him, which she would believe if not for the way Jack acted when they were on missions. Sure, he couldn't die, which was great for him, but did he have to keep putting himself in harm's way when she was cornered during a mission? She could have very well fought her own way out, but Jack rarely gave her the chance. It wasn't until that day, when he asked for just a phone call so he knew that she had arrived home safely, that she started to understand.
"I think you're beautiful."
He'd made the comment to her when they were undercover at a gala, pretending to be a married couple so they could gain access to the event and the threat that hung over it. Kiran had had to practically cling on Jack's arms and act as a trophy wife, which felt ridiculous but Ianto was insistent that it would get them in. Jack looked like he was enjoying the whole act, but why wouldn't he? At least it was fun for him.
They were dancing when he actually said the words. He had twirled her around and then said it into her ear. It made her turn pink, though she refused to let him see that it affected her.
"Are you sure?"
He looked at uncertainly from the passenger's seat. "Of course I'm sure," she replied. "I can do this, Jack."
"I know you can. But it's not that –"
"LET'S MOVE!" Tosh yelled suddenly, gesturing back at the horde of aliens on their way to tear them to pieces. Kiran slammed the accelerator and sped down the thankfully not busy Cardiff streets.
"What about the –" Gwen began to ask, but Kiran cut her off.
"THERE ARE NO RED LIGHTS IN A CAR CHASE!"
Jack had to struggle to stifle back a laugh.
"Have fun."
Kiran was frequently seen at the local bar, but it was less to drink away her feelings and more to just sit and clear her head. Torchwood was great and all, but sometimes she just needed a place to sit and think. The fact that a bar was less hectic than her job should have been telling. If it was anyone else, Jack would have tried to encourage them to go somewhere else, but because it was Kiran he always saw her off with a smile. Hey, everyone needed their quiet place. Who was he to judge if hers was there?
"Sit down, I'll get it."
Apparently Kiran had been condemned to the couch. Yeah, being sick sucked but at least she had Jack to look after her. He did a rather good job, especially with keeping her on said couch. He wouldn't even let her get the pizza when it arrived! But hey, sometimes being sick had perks.
"I made reservations."
Kiran wasn't sure how to react when Jack actually asked her out to dinner. How would other people? Those that didn't know him would probably say yes in an instant, but she hesitated. Not because she didn't want to, but because of what saying yes might lead to. Jack apparently saw that in her eyes, and clarified. He wasn't going to hold her to anything. It was just one dinner, so they could see where it went from there.
That made it easier for her to say yes.
"I don't mind."
They'd fallen asleep on the couch together – no, not cuddling, definitely not cuddling – and Kiran might have stolen the blanket in her sleep and woke up with it wrapped around her. Hey, it was cold! What was she supposed to do? Still, she felt sort of guilty, or at least she did until she heard Jack talk in his sleep. Normally she'd find it amusing, but the fact that his words were so significant made her smile even wider before snuggling into him.
"It brings out your eyes."
Kiran had just gone out to get her fringe re-dyed, since the color had been fading and that definitely wouldn't do. So when she came back to the hub, it was a shocking, almost neon blue, but the hairstylist had told her it would fade a bit naturally after a few washes. She caught Jack staring at her when she walked in, but shook it off as her hair. However, it persisted, and when she asked him about it later that evening his response made her smile.
"There's enough room for both of us."
He sure had an interesting way of encouraging her to sit with him. His smirk only widened as she chose her seat, which happened to be next to him.
"Only because you're comfortable to lean on," she said.
Yeah, right.
"You don't have to say anything."
A failed mission was not something Torchwood took lightly. Sometimes they happened, and there was a point where there was no way to avoid them. Kiran, however, wasn't used to this. The innocent blood was on her hands, and there was no way to wash it off. When she arrived at the hub, she went and found Jack immediately. He didn't say anything at first and let her speak.
"I've got red in my ledger. I want to wipe it out." He got up from his desk and wrapped her in a hug.
"I understand," was all he had to say.
"Wow."
Kiran was incredible on the battlefield. During fights with their various alien foes, it was hard for Jack not to get caught up in just watching her. Even though he couldn't die, his job typically involved protecting those that could, so watching her fight, pistol in hand, was extremely distracting.
It was quite a rather enjoyable distraction.
"Happy birthday."
Jack knew for a fact that Kiran hadn't really celebrated her birthday since Rydon died, so he was determined to make it special. When she arrived at the hub she was greeted by her coworkers holding a cake for her. She smiled, touched, but looked straight at Jack. Only he would remember something that she had considered so trivial, even if it was her birthday.
"I'll pick it up after work."
He had told her that earlier that morning, when she'd walked into the hub without her trench coat and told him that it was at the cleaner's. She'd just shrugged it off and gone about her job. She forgot about it until she got back to her apartment, when she found it sitting on her couch. She didn't even bother questioning how he had gotten in, and put it back on.
"It can wait until tomorrow."
Kiran had been running on empty for the last few days. Her only energy was from pure adrenaline and about four cups of coffee that morning, and her last few hours of sleep had been a few days ago. If they were going to catch the alien that was killing innocent civilians, it was the only way but adrenaline without rest only got her so far before her eyes were heavy and all she wanted to do was curl up, even for five minutes.
Jack walked over and stood by her desk. "Kiran?"
"Yeah?" she said, not looking up from her research.
"You need to stop. You've been at this for ages."
"You know I can't do that, Jack."
"Yes, you can." He took the stack of papers she had been glancing at throughout the evening.
"Hey!"
"It can wait. We've been making good progress and it's three in the morning. Just sleep until morning. Okay?" She sighed. There was no use arguing with him when he got like this.
"Fine…"
Jack smiled and pecked her forehead. "Thank you."
"Cross my heart and hope to die."
The words were an inside joke between them. The first time Jack had said them, Kiran had smirked and pointed out that because he couldn't die, the promise kind of lost its meaning. So he had replied that, "Well, if I could, then I'd die for you."
"It's two sugars, right?"
They were pulling a lot more all-nighters than usual. Jack had an easier time – probably something about being immortal – but the rest of the team were dragging their feet. He tried to keep moral up but getting them things they needed when he wasn't at his desk. Coffee was definitely appreciated, and Jack spent a lot of time making it for them.
He had just made a mug for Kiran and was taking it over to her desk. "Just the way you like it," he said as he set it down for her.
She smiled. "Thanks."
"I'll help you study." (From the high school AU)
Kiran wanted to throw her textbook at a wall. Finals always sucked ass, but she had never been this stressed.
Jack didn't announced himself as he walked into the apartment she had previously shared with her brother – he rarely did – and sat down on the couch next to her. "Having trouble?"
"You could say that."
He gently took the book from her. "Let me help."
"Stay over."
There was a pretty bad storm that night, and everyone had left but Kiran and Jack. Thunder rang out though they couldn't see the lightning due to the lack of windows in the hub. Kiran was stuck between wanting to leave and not wanting to get soaked in the rain. Eventually she resigned to the couch, where she and Jack began another of their movie marathons.
"I did the dishes."
At this point she was sure that Jack had made a copy of her keys. It was the only way to explain how he got into her apartment so often. Anyone else would have considered it creepy, but she was so used to Jack being Jack that it didn't bother her. She greeted him as she walked in, and found him in the kitchen.
"Hungry?" she asked.
"I'm fine, thanks."
"You didn't have to ask."
It was the little things.
It was the fact that her preferred coffee mug was always clean and ready for her, and it was the hot cocoa with marshmallows that he made. It was the trench coat that was always fixed up when it got ripped while chasing down an alien, and the computer she used that never, ever needed updating because it was always up-to-date no matter how long she forgot to do it herself.
She really appreciated the little things.
"I bought you a ticket."
Just because they were alien hunters didn't mean they couldn't have a little fun every now and then, right? Especially if that fun involved a certain band doing a concert in Cardiff.
When Jack surprised her with the tickets, she'd nearly tackled him with a hug. She was so happy, and Jack was glad to see her that way. It was definitely worth it.
"You're warm."
"Jack, I have work to do."
"I don't care. You have a fever – you're staying home. I will lock you inside your apartment if I have to."
"This is important!"
"So is your health! Just stay in bed; I'll be over to check on you in a little bit, okay?"
"…. Fine. But you owe me."
"No reason."
That was his reasoning for a lot of what he did for her. He said it casually, almost like he didn't really care but she knew better. Every time he said it, she was reminded of just how much he cared.
"I'll meet you halfway."
They'd gone out to dinner together, though Kiran had originally insisted on paying for her own food. This was this compromise, and she'd agreed knowing that otherwise Jack would take the check when she wasn't looking.
"Take mine."
They were taking a walk around Cardiff to get some fresh air. It was a nice change of pace from their usual, hectic lifestyle and Kiran found that she was enjoying it. Although she wished that she hadn't left her trench coat at home. It was a little chilly.
Jack noticed her shivering and shrugged off his own coat, draping it over her shoulders. She tried to get him to take it back.
"Jack, I'm really fine," she said.
"I don't believe that for an instance. Just take it."
"We can share."
It was raining, and the two of them were struggling to stay under the same umbrella. It was a race to get back to the hub without slipping, falling in a puddle, or just getting soaked in the rain. Kiran was having fun nudging Jack so he stepped out from under the umbrella momentarily, though he nudged her right back.
When they arrived back at the hub, naturally they were both quite soaked. But there was something fun for Kiran about seeing Jack with water in his hair and a relaxed smile on his face.
"I was just thinking about you."
Kiran had gone out to get food for the group and when she arrived back at the hub, Jack was waiting for her.
"Here I was thinking about you, and then you walk in," he said with a cheeky grin. She smiled, holding the pizza boxes over her head.
"Told you I had perfect timing."
"I want you to have this."
Their jobs were never meant to be easy. To put it simply, they were soldiers fighting to protect humanity. That meant that there was constantly a risk of them – well, most of them – dying, and it wasn't something they took lightly. Jack had made it into a tradition of sorts where when Kiran came back from a particularly dangerous mission, he gave her a trinket to keep. It was usually something small, something she could carry in her pocket but the sentiment was still there and although some of them stayed in her apartment, they were all important.
"Call me if you need anything."
Jack was insistent that they keep in touch with each other in case something went wrong on a mission. It was a good enough rule that they all followed it, and Kiran had him on speed-dial. Of course, it wasn't reserved just for missions and sometimes when she was having a bad day it was nice to have him to talk to.
"Do you want to come too?"
It would be a hell of a fight. Jack knew that going in, and he wanted someone watching his back because even immortals don't like being struck down during combat. Putting Kiran in danger was not something he particularly looked forward to, but sometimes it was necessary. Still, it was her choice.
He should have known that she would always say yes.
"I'll still be here when you're ready."
Kiran always needed a few minutes when they visited Rydon's grave. Jack didn't know whether she was trying to talk to her brother, or just if she was just gathering the energy to stand, but it didn't matter. He gave her the space she needed and waited by the SUV.
When she was ready, she would walk back over to him, give him a small, sad smile and say, "Let's go home."
"Is your seatbelt on?"
It was the little things he said that showed that he really cared. Even the reminders, as simple as they were, meant something. Maybe it was due to Jack being immortal, maybe it was his flirtatious tendencies, but the little things really, really made a difference to her.
"Sweet dreams."
They had ended up cuddled together on the couch. Kiran had her head tucked under his chin, and Jack was totally okay with that. He pecked her forehead as he settled back, and smiled as she shifted slightly in her sleep.
"I was in the neighborhood."
Sometimes Jack happened to pop in and visit her at her apartment. It stopped being a surprise after the tenth time, and each time his response to her question would be the same. She found that she didn't mind as much as she did initially. He was fun to have around, and somehow his presence just seemed to make things better. Not that she would admit it to him.
"Stay there. I'm coming to get you."
The mission had gone horribly wrong and the Weevils were swarming. Kiran had no idea where Gwen and Tosh were and she couldn't contact them. It was getting increasingly hard not to panic. Jack's words when she'd called him a few minutes before replayed in her mind, and as much as she wanted to call him again just to hear his voice she knew she couldn't, because that would risk her getting caught. She stayed put, hidden, hoping that Jack would find her because she was out-numbered and running low on ammo.
When Jack found her and they hugged, she didn't want to let go.
"The key is under the mat."
It was a joke between them, and a message. If one of them said it, that meant that they were okay to come over and talk. Otherwise, it was a no-go. It was useful to avoid conflict, and some days Kiran said it even when she didn't feel like talking and just wanted Jack to hug her. He was happy to oblige.
"It doesn't bother me."
Jack had always been comforting to her. Even when she had learned of Rydon's death from him and told him that she hated him for it, he had been ready to give her a hug as he apologized. It had always been like that, and whenever she felt bad she found herself going to Jack, where he'd wrap her in a hug (and in his trench coat with a smirk, that cheeky little shit.)
"You're important too."
He never failed to remind her that she was important.
Even though he was immortal, had traveled with The Doctor, and saved the world at least a couple of times, she was the important one to him.
"I saved you a seat."
She walked over to the table where they ate dinner and found that as usual, the seat next to where Jack primarily sat was empty. She smiled to herself, knowing that he had done that on purpose.
Cheeky little shit, she thought.
"I'll see you later."
He said it, and she kissed his cheek.
"Don't say good-bye, Jack. Say reverse hello." He smiled at that.
"In that case, reverse hello, Kiran."
"Reverse hello, Jack."
"I noticed."
When she wasn't flooded with paperwork, Kiran liked to help out around the hub. She got coffee for her coworkers and talked to them, which helped a lot more than you'd think. A few weeks after she had started doing that, she realized that someone was helping her. They were little things – refilling the paper in her printer, cleaning her computer screen – but they made her smile. Being noticed was nice, after all.
"You can tell me anything."
She always grew quiet when Christmas came around, and Jack never knew why. He didn't want to pry, especially since it might have something to do with Rydon. Still, she had to know that he was there to support her, so he pulled her aside one day and told her just that.
Kiran had smiled softly and hugged him.
"I hope you like it."
It was Christmas, and as such gifts were exchanged around the hub as a way to try to forget the stress of their job. Jack himself went out of his way to get gifts that he knew his friends would like, but Kiran was tricky. He wasn't sure what to get her. What would be right? Eventually he settled on a necklace with a jewel as blue as her hair. It was pretty, and he thought it suited her.
To say that she loved it would be a massive understatement, and Jack found that her smile was all the present he needed in return. He was not disappointed by the new coat he received from her.
"I want you to be happy."
He had gone through the possible scenarios in his head so many times that he didn't know what to expect any more when he asked Kiran to go. He wanted her to go, to live her own life where she didn't constantly have to look over her shoulder for a Weevil. She deserved to be happy, and that was all he wanted for her.
When he did tell her, she laughed at him. He looked at her, confused, and she clarified: "I am happy, Jack. Don't think that I'm not. Danger makes it so we're never bored, right?"
"I believe in you."
Among the varied things he said to encourage her, none of them hit home like that did. Maybe it's because that's what Rydon used to say when she was little and afraid, or maybe because when Jack said it, she actually believed it.
"You can do it."
Yet another phrase meant to encourage her, and she appreciated all of them. Jack's words meant more than all the praise in the world. She couldn't explain it, but there was something about the way he said it, the way he meant it, that she would always believe no matter what came their way.
"Good luck."
He said it before a mission; before they left to take down aliens wreaking havoc; before they left and went their separate ways. It became a beacon to her – if she heard those words, everything would be okay.
"I brought you an umbrella."
She was on her way out of her apartment to meet him when she found that he was already there. It was raining, and he had an umbrella already open for them.
She smiled as she stepped out and stood under it with him. "Prepared, are you?"
"Always."
"I'll pick you up at the airport."
Kiran had taken a short trip to America to visit a friend, and Jack was anxiously waiting for her to return. When she called to let him know that she was flying back that day, he was at the airport waiting when her flight touched down. When she left the plane and got to the gate and saw Jack standing there, she ran and hugged him, and he picked her up and spun her around like they were in a rom-com but it didn't matter to her.
"Take a deep breath."
Some days, she broke. And it hurt. Some days she couldn't handle the stress and on one of those days, Jack found her curled up on the couch in her apartment. She wasn't crying, but he knew that didn't necessarily mean that she wasn't hurting, so he helped her sit up and knelt by her.
"Just take a deep breath, okay? Kir, I promise, things will get better." She'd given him a small smile and he pulled her into a hug.
"Be careful."
The words were commonly heard throughout the hub, but it was as though Kiran was so reckless that Jack thought that he had to constantly remind her. She knew the risks – missions were just hectic and as much as she appreciated the warning, it did get old after a while.
"What's with the constant reminders?" she asked him one day.
He had shrugged, unsure himself. "I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't say it, I guess."
And…
"I love you."