Warnings: Some sexual content/situations; Jack being Jack; drinking
Spoilers for: The Parting of the Ways; Utopia; Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang; The End of Time Part 2; The Angels Take Manhattan; The Snowmen
Disclaimer: Don't own Doctor Who
A stranger slipped onto the stool beside him. Jack waited until the bartender told the stranger how much his drink was before cutting in.
"I'll get that."
The stranger turned to him, a smile playing on his lips and his brow furrowed. Jack flashed him one of his most alluring smiles.
Even in the darkness, he could see his pupils dilate.
"Why, thank you," the stranger nodded as Jack handed over the money.
"If you wanted me to buy you a drink, all you had to do was ask."
The stranger smirked. "You assume that my accepting is not just a way to save money."
Jack laughed. "And is it?"
"Well, my wallet is certainly thanking me."
"And that's the only part that is?"
Jack wondered if maybe he'd gone too far when a blush rose up the stranger's cheeks and he averted his eyes to his drink.
"You're certainly confident."
"I'm sorry. Am I presuming your interest?"
The stranger bit his lip. "You are." He lifted his eyes to meet Jack's. "But you're not wrong."
Jack chuckled, a full sound emanating from the depths of his chest. "Usually, I have to get at least three of those in someone before they'll admit to that."
The stranger smirked, lifting his glass to his lips. "I don't believe that for a second."
"Well, now you're presuming things about me."
"You did buy me a drink."
"Only after you'd ordered it."
"You admit to this being a regular occurrence for you."
Jack stared at the stranger for a moment or two, wanting nothing more than to snog the smug smirk off of his lips.
Jack wrapped a hand around his glass and downed the rest of his beer. "I like you. What's your name?"
Something flashed in the stranger's eyes, but it was gone so quickly Jack couldn't be sure that it wasn't a trick of the light.
Carefully, the stranger put his drink down on the bar. "John."
The strobe lights from the dancefloor on the other side of the bar flashed, and for a moment Jack saw someone else sitting in the seat next to him: someone with whom he spent five years.
Two weeks.
Whatever.
But then the lights died down again and that military coat was gone, replaced with a white shirt and a tweed jacket, red braces and a bow tie.
"What's yours?"
Jack was shaken out of his reverie by the stranger's question.
He hid it beneath an alluring smile. "Jack. Captain Jack Harkness."
The stranger's eyebrow quirked. "Captain?" His gaze flicked to a point decidedly south of Jack's face. "I should have known from that coat that you were a military man."
Jack shrugged. "Well, perhaps that might not be the best description of me."
"Then what is the best description?"
"I'm more… freelance."
"A mercenary?"
Jack shook his head. "I just have the coat and the title. Now I'm just… a traveller."
The stranger took another sip from his drink. "You're running away from something."
Suddenly it was a lot harder to look the stranger in the eye.
"You're very wise."
The stranger looked down into his drink. "I would say it's more that it takes one to know one."
"You're running too?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw the stranger nod. "I lost someone. Someones."
Jack looked over at the stranger, still staring down into his drink.
Suddenly, he needed to look the stranger in the eye.
He reached over, hooking a finger beneath the stranger's chin and lifting his gaze to meet his own.
"You need to talk about it?"
The stranger licked his lips, and shook his head. "I don't feel like talking."
Jack's gaze dropped. "Then what do you feel like doing?"
There was a quirk of the eyebrow, but it was all Jack needed.
The kiss was feather light; barely more than a mere peck. The aftertaste of the stranger's drink was still on his lips.
"I'm starting to think I was right to presume."
Jack cocked his head, a playful and questioning smirk playing on his lips.
"No one can kiss that well without doing this often."
Jack laughed, drawing his hand back from the stranger's face. "I definitely like you, John."
As Jack sat back on his barstool, the stranger opened his mouth and then closed it again.
"What?" Jack asked.
The stranger hesitated. "I'm staying at the hotel across the street."
~{G}~
They crashed through the door to the hotel room, hands wandering and lips occupied.
What followed was a blur as they travelled through the room and the stranger collapsed onto the bed, dragging Jack down on top of him.
It took mere moments for them to shift into a more comfortable position, Jack between the stranger's legs and his jacket thrown haphazardly onto the floor. As the stranger ran Jack's hands over his torso, he pulled back from the kiss, chuckling.
"A belt and braces?"
Jack hooked a finger around the stranger's own brace and pulled it down over his shoulder.
"Just braces?"
The stranger let out a breathless huff and reached up behind Jack's head, curling his fingers into his hair and pulling him down for another kiss.
Jack got to work on pulling the stranger's shirt free from his trousers and fumbling with the buttons. With one of his braces still on, Jack could only move one half of his shirt away, but it was enough. The stranger's skin was cool beneath his hands as he ran his hand up from his stomach. The stranger bristled beneath him, and Jack chuckled against his lips. When he reached his chest, he laid his palm flat against it, feeling his nipple harden under his touch, and his heartbeat race…
Jack pulled back from the kiss slowly, ignoring the stranger's brow furrowing in confusion as he stared up at him. Jack moved his hand over the stranger's chest, slipping it beneath the half of the shirt that was still on, feeling the other side of his chest. The heartbeat was just as strong.
The stranger shifted. "Jack?"
Jack looked up into the stranger's eyes, and cursed himself for not noticing it before: they were old eyes, far older than the rest of his body would suggest him to be. It was becoming more and more obvious that this man wasn't human.
"What's wrong?" he chuckled, rubbing his thumb against the back of Jack's head.
Jack's heart was racing, but for all of the wrong reasons. His mouth felt dry.
"M-Master?"
The stranger frowned, and Jack's heart dropped.
"Doctor?"
The stranger's mouth twitched, and Jack pushed himself up, sitting on the edge of the bed and running his hands through his hair.
"Jack…" The Doctor sat up, folding his long legs underneath him and kneeling by Jack's side. He reached out for Jack's shoulder, but he shrugged away.
"You changed again."
The Doctor sat back on his legs. He nodded.
"What happened?"
"Radiation. The last time I saw you, when I introduced you to Alonso…"
"You were dying?"
The Doctor nodded.
"Are you dying now?"
A pause.
"No."
"Then why are you here? Why couldn't you tell me it was you? Why are you hanging around in bars?"
"Not bars. One bar."
Jack's eyes narrowed.
"You knew I'd be there."
The Doctor looked away.
Jack grit his teeth. "Why? Why the act?"
"I didn't want you to know it was me," the Doctor mumbled. "I wasn't sure you would have agreed."
Jack snorted. "I should have been more obvious when we used to spend more time together."
A blush rose up the Doctor's cheeks, the corner of his lips quirking slightly, and it only served to infuriate Jack even further.
"You realise this is a little creepy, right? To make me treat you like you're a stranger."
"What difference would it make?"
"It would have made a lot of difference. You deserve to not be treated like a stranger."
The Doctor's eyes closed and his jaw twitched. "Jack, just fuck me, please."
Jack shook his head. "Why? You've never been like this before. What changed?"
The Doctor opened his eyes once more, still staring down at the ground.
"I lost people."
"Who?"
"My entire family."
Jack blinked, wishing that the Doctor would just look at him. "You had a family?"
The Doctor nodded slowly. "A wife. Two in-laws. I lost them all."
Jack's heart dropped like a stone. "Are you travelling alone?"
The Doctor didn't say anything. But then, he didn't need to.
Jack moved closer to him. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to his. Immediately, the Doctor turned to face him fully, reaching up to behind his neck and holding him in place. He tried to push his lips open, but Jack pulled back. There was a quick flash of disappointment in the Doctor's eyes.
"Does it hurt when I kiss you?"
The Doctor gulped, staying silent.
"You once told me that it hurts to look at me. Does it hurt when I do this?"
He kissed his lips.
"Or this?"
He pressed a kiss to his neck, pushing him down back onto the bed.
"Or this?"
He began trailing kisses down his chest. He nearly made it to his bellybutton when the Doctor spoke up.
"Jack, stop."
Jack pulled away, moving so he could see the Doctor's face, keeping his arms on either side of him.
"Are you doing this to punish yourself?"
The Doctor shook his head. "You have good reviews," he chuckled, but Jack was in no mood for mirth. The Doctor sighed. "I really wish it didn't hurt."
"You should have asked me before I died the first time."
"You should have bought me a drink."
Jack did laugh at that, and the Doctor joined in. But it didn't take too long for them to lapse into silence, their gazes meeting solemnly.
"I can deal with the pain," the Doctor whispered.
"Doctor-"
"Jack."
Jack shook his head. "No."
He pushed himself up to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling the Doctor up with him.
The Doctor let out a disappointed huff, running a hand through his hair.
"What now?"
Jack looked over at him. "Don't travel alone, Doctor."
"Maybe I won't travel at all," he smirked, but there was a sadness in his eyes.
Jack shook his head. "That's not you."
The Doctor shrugged. "It could be me. I could find a nice cloud somewhere, park the TARDIS there. Victorian England is quite nice."
"It won't last."
The Doctor met Jack's eyes. "We'll see."