- Jack Harkness -
She was so sweet and small and beautiful and kind and reckless and heartfelt and caring and careless and brave all at the same time that I felt my heart beat so hard that it would soon fly out of my chest if I didn't find some way to control it. I had to settle with kissing her forehead, knowing that it was the only thing she was okay with right now. If I tried anything else, she might get uncomfortable and leave. But I couldn't take it. It was like going through drug withdraw. I wanted to kiss her, so badly, right on the mouth and never have to pull back for air and I wanted her to kiss me back and I wanted it to go on and on and on but I couldn't, and it made my palms sweaty and it made me twitchy and anxious and I could tell she sensed it, and, and, and-
"Jack, where are you taking me?" Nova breathed quietly, and I felt my stomach do somersaults, just trying my hardest not to pull her to the nearest wall and slam my mouth into hers. I'd known her for a day. Only a day, and already, this little crush or fling that I had going on for her was beginning to kill me. Just her voice, or the small noises that she sometimes made when she was breathing constantly knocked the wind out of me, leaving me unable to speak for a few seconds. I wanted to put duct tape over her mouth and shove her into the back of a car just so I could breathe right for a minute or two.
"Just..to a few stores, okay?" I asked, trying to keep my voice gentle, although I was straining again.
"It's fine you know. I've dealt without shopping before I mean, I can manage without you having to spend money-"
I gritted my teeth. I wanted to give her everything. Every ounce of happiness that I could muster, all the money I had, even life for fuck's sakes. She felt alone. I could see it in her eyes. I knew that look oh too well, and I was killing me that this poor girl was even a little upset.
"No," I interrupted her, "shut up. It's not a big deal. Of all people, you're the person that I'd prefer to spend a shitload of money on. So shut up. Plus, you're a member of Torchwood now. You're our weapons expert. You'll work off this money and gain more in due time, okay? Okay."
She stared down at the sidewalk in front of us and I swept her into a building, titled "Mirage" on the front. I knew it was a woman's clothing store, and looked around. "Go look around, and be careful. I'll be over here, okay?" I said, looking at her and leaning against the wall beside the door frame.
Nova gave my hand a single, small squeeze and let it go, turning to look around. She looked back at me one last time and kissed my cheek, then walked off, my trenchcoat practically dragging on the ground. I chuckled, watching her as she glanced at some of the frillier clothing with a slightly disgusted face and she must've heard me at some point, shooting a disbelieving look at me. I simply shrugged in response and looked down at my phone, checking to see if I'd had any missed calls from Gwen or Ianto. Since Owen and Tosh's death, I always wanted to check up on them constantly and just make sure that they were still doing okay. It was rare that they needed help when we weren't at the hub, but it was always a worry of mine. By the time I looked up, I'd seen that Nova was looking a rack of tee shirts. I watched as she picked out two shirts, both black, that I knew would be too big on her, and a pair of white-washed skinny jeans that might've been just a size too big.
"Shoes, too," I called to her as I watched her walk back towards me. She blushed and turned back, taking another two minutes to pick out a pair of black combat boots. I raised an eyebrow.
"Are you going to be able to run and shoot in those well enough?" I asked. She nodded quickly, looking at them.
"Alright, bring them up to the register."
She did so, and I came up behind her, paying for them. The woman that rang us up smiled brightly at me and said, "Sorry if I'm intruding or anything, but I just want to say that you two just..kind of astound me, you know? Very cute couple."
Nova clapped a hand over her own face, shaking her head and mumbling, "we're not a couple.."
"Thanks," I said anyway, throwing a smirk at the blonde. The other woman laughed and gave me Nova's bags, my change, and receipt, and then I dragged the small girl to the bathroom at the back of the room.
"Get changed," I said, "you never know when somethi-"
I was cut off by my phone, although Nova had already taking the bag and brought it into the bathroom.
When I answered the phone, I heard it was Ianto
"Sir, there's extraterrestrial activity happening at one of the hospitals. You're with Nova, I presume, so just meet me at the hub."
"She's getting dressed, we'll be out in a second," I answered, then shut my phone. I knocked quickly on the bathroom door, calling to her, "hurry up, something's going on."
Nova was out in seconds, and I didn't bother with the clothes that she changed out of, tossing them in the bag and chucking the bag into the trash. She was still wearing my trenchcoat, and I grabbed her hand, running out the back exit with her.