Title: Like Hours
Author: Ponderosa (ponderosa@dragonworld.com)
Pairing: Bauer/Baker
Archived at: Destiny Interrupted (my site - url in profile)
Warnings: [PG-13] Slash. Lime.
Spoilers: Season Two. Episode 14 (9-10pm)
Disclaimer: Characters belong to their respective copyright owners, like Fox. Plot, if you can call it that, belongs to me.
Notes: As if I haven't said it enough times already: Kiefer is a sexy bitch. Unbeta'd so any mistakes are mine and mine alone. Blame for this fic lies with Windsor Blue!
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[The following takes place between 9:18 and 9:23pm]
Jack Bauer was tired. He hadn't slept well the night before. Truth be told, he hadn't slept well for a year, and although the stars were bright in the sky outside, Jack knew the day was far from over.
He'd been running on adrenaline for hours and he wanted sleep, but more than that simple comfort, he wanted answers. The man they had in custody either didn't know, or wouldn't say, anything useful.
"Keep working on him," he said to the translator. The woman nodded and turned back to the prisoner, questioning him yet again in fluid Arabic about the location of the real bomb.
Informing another agent of his intentions, Jack headed for the side door of the hangar. He needed some fresh air and just a minute or two to clear his head. He ran a hand over the cropped length of his hair and took in a great lungful of air as he stepped out into the night.
The airport had been locked down and secured. A building away, people were being filed into an empty hangar for processing, but here it was quiet. Jack closed his eyes and leaned his back against the wall, trying very hard not to think about every precious second that was slipping by.
His peace and quiet was shattered when the door swung open with a harsh, metallic squeak. Jack's hand immediately went towards his weapon. Until today, it had been a year since he had fired a gun, but all the training and habits that kept good agents alive had returned and were running at full force. When he saw who had come out to join him, he relaxed his posture - slightly - and nodded at the other man. "Agent Baker," he said, and his eyes flicked to the wedge of light that narrowed as the door closed of its own accord. "Where's Kate Warner?"
"She's in the controlled area, waiting outside processing," Baker answered. "I came out here to give you an update, sir. There's still been no progress with the pilot."
Jack nodded. He knew that; he'd just been in there a minute ago. He glanced at his watch and blinked. Make that four minutes. The time had sped past when he wasn't paying attention. With a mental sigh, he smoothed his hands down his face and kicked away from the wall. Enough screwing around, he had to go back inside and do his job.
"Agent Bauer, sir," Baker said, his boot heel crunching on some broken glass as he took a half step back and nodded respectfully. "I wanted to say, it's been an honor working with you tonight."
There was a subtle note of hesitation in the younger agent's voice and Jack could see that he didn't hold out much hope that they would find the bomb in time. He studied Baker's face, noting the high, fine cheekbones and measured the look in the man's dark eyes. They may not have been brimming with hope, but they still burned with determination. Baker wasn't the type to give up when the odds were worse than bad and Jack nodded slowly -- as much in approval as thanks.
Jack was about to motion for Baker to open the door and lead the way back inside when he caught the light of an entirely different emotion that played across the Asian man's features: Attraction. Jack's thin lips quirked into a crooked ghost of a smile and he shook his head slightly. Some other time, maybe he'd be interested, but he couldn't afford to do anything about the tiny spark that the other man spiked in his chest.
Then again, the odds were worse than bad. In a burst of spontaneity, Jack grabbed Baker by the shoulders and spun him around, pushing the other man against the wall. Baker's hand had gone towards his gun, and those dark eyes were locked with his; no doubt trying to gauge whether or not he had just lost his mind.
The corner of Jack's mouth twitched and he leaned forward slowly, cocking his head to the side. "Just say no," he said, his voice a rough purr and his odd-coloured eyes - the one blue, and the other green - were fixed firmly on Baker's.
Feeling a bit of tension bleed out of the other man, Jack took the silence as consent and kissed Baker roughly. It had been a long time since he'd kissed another man, and he had forgotten just how different it was from kissing a woman. His eyes slid closed as felt a swipe of tongue against his upper lip. The questing tongue that met his was just as demanding as his own and he felt the rough scrape of stubble against his lower lip. Growing out of something desperate and needy, it was a harsh kiss that bordered on violent. The two men crushed their mouths together, and each brush of Baker's lips against Jack's tasted steeped in the heady wickedness of irresponsibility.
What felt like hours later, Jack loosened his hold on Baker's uniform and broke the kiss. The blood rushed back into his knuckles as he released the other man and his eyelids fluttered as he blinked in rapid succession.
"Sir," Agent Baker said. He licked his lips and his nostrils flared as he drew in a breath to compose himself.
Jack tried to speak, but had to clear his throat. "Let's go find that bomb," he said to the other agent.
Ready to get back to the task at hand, Baker spared a glance at his watch as he reached for the door handle. The seconds were ticking by on the digital face and he glanced up at Jack to give him a firm nod. "After you."
Owari