Title: fire and foolishness
Author: ness
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
eMail: nessbut@yahoo.co.uk
Category: j/h
Rating: PG-13
Thanks: Elisheva
Everybody got out. The displaced guests were crammed into hotels all round town.
Jake, Hamilton, Will and Scout ended the night all in the same room. Jake was brushing her teeth compulsively to get the horrible taste of melted plastic out of her mouth. All her clothes stank and Will was ranting at her.
"You were so dumb Jake."
- maybe I should try brushing my tongue as well and then I'd taste minty -
"..stupid, Jake."
"I know Will."
"When the alarm goes you get out and you stay out. The emergency services will thank you for it. They're the guys trained for this stuff."
Hamilton was thinking - this is the tone my dad uses. He's standing the same way. Is he really our age? - (He'd had this thought before, and told Jake, and Jake had said "Nah. He's a botox'd up 40 year old infiltrating class on behalf of the faculty." Hamilton: "His contact's Finn." "Yeah, and that battered old bike was given him by Q and what it does is .." Hamilton: "He goes into exotic bars in Europe and the waiter goes Krudsky. Will Krudsky. What kind of secret agent is that?" "Ryder so needs a white persian cat.")
Hamilton snapped back into it to hear Scout say "Well I'm glad Jake came for us because god knows whether the firemen would have been in time."
Will: "If things hadn't gone OK you'd have been an extra person for them to rescue, an extra burden."
"I know. I've been thinking that."
"And it was sheer luck things turned out"
"Stop. Shut up Krudsky. Do you think noone else has the imagination to work out a worstcase scenario? Believe me. They're running through my head, and Scout's head, and Hamilton's head. Right now. So shut up."
Will was looking ashamed and guilty.
"Tonight's been bad for all of us. You too" Scout said tiredly.
"Did you, uh, did you tell Finn I went back?" Jake had dropped her head forward but was still watching Will's face from under her lashes.
"If I had he'd be making the worstcase speech to you right now."
"Only more pompously" Hamilton offered from his corner.
"With gratuitous Lit. quotes" Scout agreed.
Will glared at them then told Jake "I said I'd lost touch before leaving the building. That way you were on the firemen's to-find list but Finn didn't have you down as a dangerously idiotic.."
"Yes yes. I get the rest. Thanks."
"Speaking of thanks, I didn't, uh, I didn't.."
Jake listened carefully to Scout. Her lips twitched. "Actually. You punched me." She thought - if I were a nicer person I'd let people off the hook at times like this. Maybe. Sometimes -
Hamilton explained to Will. "That was when Jake explained thermodynamics to Scout. In a burning building."
Will giggled.
Jake: "Yeah well I babble when I'm panicking. Hey Ham. You haven't thanked me either."
"I'm trying to think of a way." Jake caught his eye and remembered holding him. She looked away hoping desperately she wasn't blushing. - he thinks I'm a boy. Can't flirt. Just enjoy being friends. He's so cute. He's such great company. Isn't that enough? (Well, no.) But if I tell him .. he's got some truly weird ideas about girls ..if I tell him, everything's that much more out of control. And even IF I tell him and then IF he's relatively ok with it that is he doesn't tell the school, that doesn't mean big romance. Just more of the platonic thing with a side order of grievance cos I lied -
When she looked back Hamilton was still staring at her. "You know I'd do the same for you."
"Oh no. Will's just explained how stupid a stunt it was." Jake was half laughing, trying to keep it on a joking level.
"What can I say." Hamilton was looking intensely at his friend, trying to connect with him. "I'm an idiot."
END
Everybody got out. The displaced guests were crammed into hotels all round town.
Jake, Hamilton, Will and Scout ended the night all in the same room. Jake was brushing her teeth compulsively to get the horrible taste of melted plastic out of her mouth. All her clothes stank and Will was ranting at her.
"You were so dumb Jake."
- maybe I should try brushing my tongue as well and then I'd taste minty -
"..stupid, Jake."
"I know Will."
"When the alarm goes you get out and you stay out. The emergency services will thank you for it. They're the guys trained for this stuff."
Hamilton was thinking - this is the tone my dad uses. He's standing the same way. Is he really our age? - (He'd had this thought before, and told Jake, and Jake had said "Nah. He's a botox'd up 40 year old infiltrating class on behalf of the faculty." Hamilton: "His contact's Finn." "Yeah, and that battered old bike was given him by Q and what it does is .." Hamilton: "He goes into exotic bars in Europe and the waiter goes Krudsky. Will Krudsky. What kind of secret agent is that?" "Ryder so needs a white persian cat.")
Hamilton snapped back into it to hear Scout say "Well I'm glad Jake came for us because god knows whether the firemen would have been in time."
Will: "If things hadn't gone OK you'd have been an extra person for them to rescue, an extra burden."
"I know. I've been thinking that."
"And it was sheer luck things turned out"
"Stop. Shut up Krudsky. Do you think noone else has the imagination to work out a worstcase scenario? Believe me. They're running through my head, and Scout's head, and Hamilton's head. Right now. So shut up."
Will was looking ashamed and guilty.
"Tonight's been bad for all of us. You too" Scout said tiredly.
"Did you, uh, did you tell Finn I went back?" Jake had dropped her head forward but was still watching Will's face from under her lashes.
"If I had he'd be making the worstcase speech to you right now."
"Only more pompously" Hamilton offered from his corner.
"With gratuitous Lit. quotes" Scout agreed.
Will glared at them then told Jake "I said I'd lost touch before leaving the building. That way you were on the firemen's to-find list but Finn didn't have you down as a dangerously idiotic.."
"Yes yes. I get the rest. Thanks."
"Speaking of thanks, I didn't, uh, I didn't.."
Jake listened carefully to Scout. Her lips twitched. "Actually. You punched me." She thought - if I were a nicer person I'd let people off the hook at times like this. Maybe. Sometimes -
Hamilton explained to Will. "That was when Jake explained thermodynamics to Scout. In a burning building."
Will giggled.
Jake: "Yeah well I babble when I'm panicking. Hey Ham. You haven't thanked me either."
"I'm trying to think of a way." Jake caught his eye and remembered holding him. She looked away hoping desperately she wasn't blushing. - he thinks I'm a boy. Can't flirt. Just enjoy being friends. He's so cute. He's such great company. Isn't that enough? (Well, no.) But if I tell him .. he's got some truly weird ideas about girls ..if I tell him, everything's that much more out of control. And even IF I tell him and then IF he's relatively ok with it that is he doesn't tell the school, that doesn't mean big romance. Just more of the platonic thing with a side order of grievance cos I lied -
When she looked back Hamilton was still staring at her. "You know I'd do the same for you."
"Oh no. Will's just explained how stupid a stunt it was." Jake was half laughing, trying to keep it on a joking level.
"What can I say." Hamilton was looking intensely at his friend, trying to connect with him. "I'm an idiot."
END