Just before the dawn of Sunday morning already, and all was well. The yet-unopened Rabbit was quiet in the right sort of way for once. The signs weren't on, it was just lit by the warm yellow fixtures, giving everything a soft glow. Jack already didn't feel so alone, with Diego helping him clean and clear the empty bottles from yesterday. No need for replacement furniture. No need for new glasses. It hadn't used to be calm here. But now it was. That in itself was quite a luxury. Not perfect- far from perfect. But nothing was.
Jack hummed quietly, as he wiped down the tables, then getting ready to disinfect the old DDR machine. Thinking of sweet things, and people, and hobbies he could possibly have time for now, he realized he missed Legion in some strange way, and it was odd to even consider something like that. But one thing drew him out of his reverie, and all thoughts about the Rabbit, and Legion, and friends, and his life ground to a halt. The communicator in his pocket was vibrating.
He took it out to check what all the fuss was about, and it was an incoming call. Waving Diego off, he explained the break with some feeble excuse and slipped out to the back for some privacy. The door creaked shut behind him and he leant on the wall to answer it.
A familiar, rich and slightly gruff voice was on the other end of the line. One he honestly didn't expect to hear, at least not so soon. The tone was flirtatious and complimentary, and he almost laughed in triumph when he registered exactly who it was.
"This Jack, the amazing, handsome, leaping barkeep?" the voice asked.
Oh, this was fun already. Jack smirked and gave his answer to the question, along with one of his own. "Of course. Is this the Exile, dreamy talented customer who could shoot an apple off my head?"
"The very same! Apple, bow- still fancy a demonstration...?" The offer was enticing, temptation already swaying at the Kadeptian, the forbidden fruit here a bit more literal than usual.
He grinned bigger, and his exchange for that was a euphemism of his own. "-Wouldn't exactly mind seeing you nock an arrow or two..."
"I'm warning you, I shoot to thrill!" he flirted back.
"Oh, I can only hop to reach your level," Jack swooned.
Chuckling on the other end of the line- "Pretty sure you could hop to the moon, handsome. Or should that'a been shoot for the moon?"
"Oh, there's always both," he offered.
"Ha! Knew it wasn't just the brandy that liked you," the Exile laughed.
That made Jack's grin fall into something soft and fond. He added, "And I'm definitely sure it wasn't just the tips now."
"Y'know, if I was picking up the right vibes yesterday, reckon you fancy playin' around with more wood than just the bow...?" the Exile suggested, finally getting the right idea.
Jack laughed again, having far too much fun with this already. "Well, I rub it well enough."
"That so, huh? Punderful though this is... jokes aside?" The voice was still a little uncertain. Not too much so, but some doubt was evident.
A small mercy, Jack finally put it straight. Well, in colloquial terms, actually not very straight at all. "Yes, my fine fellow. The answer is yes."
"When do you have a night off? I got time travel, and I'm very flexible. Read into that one what you will." Jack could practically hear a wink and some finger guns.
Right now, the situation was perfect. "We're not open right now. If you can get me back quick enough, I won't miss a thing."
"...Y'ever travel by vortex manipulator? Bit hard to get used to, but promise I'll take care of you if you need to swoon."
Jack sighed, already fond. "Not yet, I'm afraid. Before a few years ago, time travel in the typical fashion wasn't exactly on the table at all. But I am... adaptive."
"How long you off?"
"For another hour and a half. But I assure you, you could probably get me off anyway, darling," he joked.
Jack heard his tongue click. "I'll hop to it and get over to you quick then. See you there, handsome Jack."
"See you in a tick! Kisses!" and he blew one through the communicator. Not that he'd actually be able to do much of that. Or any of that. But it was the thought, and the intent, that both counted.
There was a groan from the other end. "Time travel puns. Oh, I surrender. You win this round. And you'll get more than those-"
There was a click and the line finally went silent.
Well. He thought that there wasn't going to be anything interesting to start the day with. Jack definitely stand-corrected. If nothing else, this could bring in a repeat customer. He was used to taking these offers and handing out his number for an extra tip or two, or a favour perhaps. But the somebody involved actually seemed pleasant to be around, and not just in it for that. For once. It shouldn't have been a high bar to pass, but it was something Jack was already appreciative of.
There was a sudden flash of light and a light breeze made its way through the room, the bottles clinking in their cases. His face fell from its typical grin into true wonderment. The man who stepped out from the tiny tear in the ether was even more handsome than Jack remembered, ocean-blue eyes glinting from the light and mouse-brown curls shimmering with the wind.
The Exile nonchalantly leaned against the closest wall to where he appeared, throwing Jack a wink. "Hey, handsome."
Jack almost swore at the sight, it was just like out of a Kadeptian fairytale. But he was going to be a gentleman. Or as much as one could reasonably be a gentleman while still in the particular situation of a likely one-night stand. "I could ask if you fell from heaven, but walking through time is a bit more interesting," he shot a grin.
"You can do it too- if you take my hand," the Exile bowed and offered one for him to hold.
"Happy to oblige," and Jack did exactly that.
Instead of just doing that though, the Exile draped both of Jack's arms over his shoulders. "Hold on tight- we're going to my place."
"Taking me home? For archery practice?" he teased.
"View you couldn't believe. And plenty of orchards for those apples," he boasted.
"What a treat! Alright, I'm holding on-"
The Exile tapped in a few buttons on his vortex manipulator, and then everything was electric, strange pressure enveloping the air around them. And suddenly, in just a second, they were falling- falling through spacetime itself.
The sight and feeling of being unprotected in the vortex could've driven a newcomer mad. So bizarre and incomprehensible, yet strangely beautiful. The view of the stars back inside space was swirling around them, colours shifting in ways supposed to be impossible, warping the view of reality itself.
It felt like being submerged in water, no, high in the air, no, deep space- no, all of them at once. But also none of them. There were rushes of overwhelming sensations drowning out every thought, and then they were as gone. Nothing at all.
And as quickly as it started, it was over. Everything was completely back to normal.
Jack stumbled out of the rip in space as gravity resumed, losing his grip of the man in front of him. He stared in wonderment at the Exile.
"So, you do this all the time, dashing rogue?"
He shrugged, "Pretty much, yeah. You get used to it. Not feeling sick, are you?" There was a bit of concern, but it was waved away immediately.
"Tad dizzy, but I'll adjust," he brushed it off.
Jack glanced around, taking the scenery in. The sky was bright blue and partly cloudy, there was a bungalow standing higher on top of the grassy cliff-face, watching over a gleaming lake with a small sailboat docked nearby. Leading up to the cliff were the promised orchards, a lush but not dense arrangement of large fruit trees. If the cottage was bigger, this would count as a sprawling estate.
"Where are we?" he huffed.
The Exile looked up at the sky, taking in the breeze rustling through his curls. "Just one of my little places- I couldn't come back here much with... what I was doing- but now I'm free. Shouldn't say the name though, never know who might be lookin' for me."
"It's- lovely," and that was all Jack could say.
The man nodded, "Nice ta get to come home once in a while. Come on down, want me to show ya some of my tricks?"
"I'm way ahead of you," he winked.
In response, Jack wound up his legs and bounded far, soaring high up into the air and landing all the way at the bottom of the cliff without so much as a need to gather his breath. The Exile rushed down after him, falling into a near-stumbling sprint that still took a bit to catch up with. Jack grinned, he hadn't gotten to leap that high in ages, and it felt good to properly stretch his legs.
He laughed, "That was pretty quick. Couldn't keep my eyes off you from down here."
"Ah, well I didn't think you could jump that high," he rubbed the back of his neck, blushing a little.
"The gravity is generous. Didn't take much effort." He danced around for a bit, getting a feel for it. "It's about... 9.2 EN here?"
The Exile raised an eyebrow. "That's pretty close, it's 9.3... How'd you know?"
"You get sensitive to this sort of thing if you're usually on planets where it's weaker than your own. Must've gotten it a little off because my shoes aren't weighted at the moment..." He still shook his head at getting it wrong.
"Fair. You get pretty good if you're shooting projectiles affected by it too." He made a small, cocky grin, and then took the bow off of his back. It was nice, polished, and taken care of, but it was still clearly a well-used piece of equipment. Something only a lot of love could keep in this good a condition.
Jack raised an eyebrow though, slightly nervous at the prospect of being under the target once it really sank in that he'd still be standing in front of a deadly weapon. "Could I watch a bit before you shoot one of these lovely apples off of my head?"
The Exile patted his shoulder reassuringly, chuckling softly. "Bit afraid? Sure thing, handsome."
They walked through the orchards together, green and rich, slightly hilly, and filled with more fruit than just apples. Pears, oranges, plums, and even various nut trees. They finally reached a clearing. There were a few actual targets, and a few examples of trees pockmarked with impact wounds, and fallen and rotting fruit- all with holes in them.
Walking back thirty paces from a target, the man took an arrow, nocked it, and drew the bowstring until it was taught. He eyed the target for a second, then let go, and it soared through the air at speed, hitting the exact centre of the target with a thunk almost faster than it could be perceived as in motion.
Jack was unsurprisingly impressed, raising his eyebrows, crossing his arms, and actually standing still for once, a rare sight. "Alright, not bad. Not bad at all."
"Not my real name so it's probably okay for you ta know. One of the things I got called back then was Robin, 'cause of this. You can call me that, if the Exile starts wearing too thin," he winked.
Jack chuckled and waved it off like that was the most preposterous thing. "-While I sincerely doubt that, noted. Robin it is, if you wish"
They stood in silence, Jack watching him hit more targets, one after the other- perfect bullseyes, every single one of them. Suffice to say, it wasn't long before he was swooning. Genuinely.
Finally, he surrendered to the idea of trying the little stunt, his previous lack of confidence gone with the wind. "Time to shoot one of those off of my pretty little head then, is it?"
Robin nodded, gave Jack an apple, and pointed to one of the trees he'd been practising on. The Kadeptian dashed over, fruit in hand, and leant on the tree, balancing it precariously.
"Ready?!" Robin shouted.
Jack yelled back, "As ready as I'll ever be, dashing rogue!"
Robin nocked another arrow, wound up, and let it fly. As soon as Jack was on the other end of the bow, everything went into slow motion. Barreling towards him, but at the same time only inching forward a second at a time, before he knew it time was normal again, and his head was pulled back slightly with a jerking motion as the thing resting on it was pinned against the tree.
Stepping back, Jack let out an impressed whistle. "Nice job- all in a day's work for a roguish Exile is it?"
"You could say so," he hurried over, plucking the arrow from the tree and sliding it out of the fruit. "So, you've leapt, I've shot, what're... you in the mood for now?"
"Some more playing with wood?" he suggested.
"Hoped ya'd say that," he cocked his head and ran a hand before his hair, before getting ready to do something else.
That was only the second time today that Jack had been pinned to a tree.
Realizing that he could poison him if it happened, Jack's eyes widened. "W-wait... don't!" he warned, but it was too late. Robin had pulled him into a deep kiss, nudged his mouth open, and their tongues met. It would've been wonderful if he wasn't worried the entire time that the other man would faint.
But their lips parted, and nothing happened. Nothing at all.
"...Y-you didn't faint-" Jack just stared in awe, looking him over up and down.
The Exile seemed confused. "What'dya mean, I didn't faint?"
He was still lost for words, having trouble explaining after the shock, his face and the tips of his ears burning red. "Lips- anaesthetic venom. I can't- Kadeptians can't kiss people of other species without knocking them out. What- how?"
Feeling his lips after learning this, Robin thought about the statement. "They're a little tingly? Only noticed now ya mention it."
"...Your constitution is better in more things than one." Jack licked his own lips. "-And if you're not worried about that... kiss me again."
Robin obliged, hands grasping at the lapels of Jack's blazer and keeping him against the trunk of the apple tree. Things got heated quick, and that wood was already burning in a flare of passion.
It was over far too soon. They fell through the tear in reality again and back into the dark of the back room of the White Rabbit. Jack smiled fondly, hair a little mussed and just barely off-balance, he already hoped that this stranger would be coming back.
"Told you I could shoot an apple off your head. And shoot off other things," one of the other things including a pair of finger guns.
"You sure could. Hope your lips aren't too tingly. By the way, I wouldn't eat doughnuts for a while. Just in case. Could make you ill."
He did bite his lip, they were a bit itchy now, like he'd had a mild allergic reaction. "Well, made the mistake of licking them at one point. But you're forgiven. ...doughnuts?" Robin raised his eyebrows.
Jack shook his head. "Don't know exactly why, but they don't react well with the toxin."
Still confused, but somehow accepting the explanation, Robin answered, "Thanks for the heads up. Mind you... I'd be down for working up a bit of tolerance any time..."
Now, that was a good sign. He sighed, "Your constitution is already quite impressive, but I'd be happy to help you build it sometime."
"I was hoping you'd say that. You've got my number now, any time you're up for another round of archery practice. Also, y'know... I like the Rabbit. Lemme know when I can come back, eh?"
"Of course, where would my manners be? Surely I'll come to visit and see some trick shots. The Rabbit is open to you, dear... and so is my room upstairs," he winked, his eyes glowing brighter with the offer.
Robin waved and set his vortex manipulator again. "I gotta go- but I'm coming back, promise. See ya!"
"Goodbye!
And just like that, he was gone, and Jack stood alone, frozen, heart racing, skin pink and dazed, staring at the place where he'd just been. No extra tips, no favour, just a nice couple of hours. But he still craved the man's touch, felt the sensation of soft lips on his ghosting at him. He found someone he could kiss. And it was magical just who with it was.
Was this love?
