Title: Heart's Debt
Author: Tabitha R. Jones (me in other words)
Fandom: The Tribe
Pairing: Jay/Pride (possible others as the story progresses.... if you don't like slash, please don't read!)
Disclaimer: I do not now nor have I ever owned the Tribe or its characters. They are all the property of Cloud 9, and I am just playing in their world.
Rating: This chapter, PG-13. Future chapters? Probably R!
Summary/Genre: Action/romance/slash/drama (come on, it's the Tribe...). Jay and Pride are troubled by something-- could it be a desire for hot man lovin' with each other?! ^_~ 1194 words for part one.
Archiving: Ask me first. Also, I will be posting it to FanFic.net.
Comments: Yes, please! But be gentle, it's my first fic in years! ^_^;
***********************************************************
Episode 1:
Jay sat in the control room, his eyes fixed on the monitor in front of him, his hands ready at the keyboard. To all appearances, he seemed engrossed in his work, carefully watching the cam broadcasts for signs of trouble. Ever since Pride's abortive attempt to sabotage the power plant, Ram had been more paranoid than usual and more demanding- which meant longer hours for all the Technos. Jay leaned his chin on his hand and stifled a yawn, hoping no one would notice his boredom. He tried to shake off the lethargy creeping over him by stretching- when that failed, he signed heavily and stood up.
"You, take over at this station," he ordered, "I've got to get some air."
"Yes, sir!" The masked Techno slid into Jay's empty chair.
As Jay strode from the room, he pondered where he should go on his walk. A quick circuit around the perimeter should clear his head- and give him the opportunity to make sure his security measures were being enforced. He smiled to himself at his workaholic tendencies and set off.
Several minutes of brisk walking later, Jay found himself poolside at the back of the hotel. All his guards had had nothing to report and Jay sighed to himself again. His walk was proving to be as boring as monitor duty. He felt a twinge in his leg and realized his injuries from his struggle with Pride atop Ram's electrified fence were still too fresh for his usual level of activity. He noticed an empty lounge chair at the far side of the pool and made for it. Sitting on its edge, he looked about to make sure no one would catch him in such an undignified piece of furniture.
It was truly a beautiful day. The sun glinted off the metal pool railings, birds chirped in the trees and bushes, and best of all, the pool area seemed to be deserted. Making a mental note to post more guards around the pool, Jay gingerly leaned back in the lounger and closed his eyes, preparing to meditate.
"Ah," though Jay, "This could be dangerous. I'd better not fall asleep on duty." He tried to clear his mind, but found one thought would not vanish in the blank void he tried to conjure.
"Pride."
Jay thought his name and unbidden, pictured the dark-haired young man. They'd struggled together on the power plant's fence, Jay trying to apprehend Pride while also trying to delay the power plant's activation. Pride has been struggling to escape. In the confusion, both the young men panicked and had barely escaped electrocution. Jay had failed- not only to capture Pride, but also to convince Ram to stop his countdown to power. Jay still had his burns to remind him that he'd lost that battle- but the sting was nothing compared to the bitter sting of his own failure.
Yet another thought rankled him- he, Jay, the general of the powerful Techno tribe, had been saved by Pride. That was almost too much- Jay was used to having the upper hand in most situations and now he knew he owed his life to another.
Meditation certainly wasn't going to help. Swearing under his breath, Jay sat up quickly, opening his eyes. He almost shouted when he saw a tall, dark figure duck behind a bush at the edge of the terrace. Quickly regaining his composure, he silently stalked to the terrace's edge and aimed his weapon at the shrubbery.
"It'll go better for you if you come out of there quietly," he announced, ready to fire.
The bushes rustled and parted, and Jay found himself face to face with Pride.
"What do you think you're doing?" Jay hissed, glancing around quickly. Certain the terrace and pool were clear of Technos, he ducked behind the bushes himself.
"I came by to see you," whispered Pride, "Just to see how you were after the... accident..."
"I'll be fine," whispered Jay, remembering Ebony's tender care of his wounds, "But this is an insane thing to do. Security is through the roof right now, Ram's on one of his tears again- in no small part, thanks to you! I didn't know you had a death wish!"
To Jay's surprise, Pride grinned, "I'm pretty good at sneaking around, if you hadn't noticed."
"Yeah, I've got the burns to prove that," Jay grimaced, "You're not as good at sneaking OUT of places."
Pride's face became sober and he glanced at the ground. "Yeah... about that... I just wanted to well, apologize."
"Don't worry about it," interrupted Jay, "I should be thanking you. You managed to pull me down before I was hurt too badly. So, thanks. I owe you one."
"One what?" asked Pride, glancing up to look at Jay. Their eyes met for a moment.
"A favor." But within reason," replied Jay, "I can't very well turn off the power for you."
Pride was silent for a long while, and Jay feared the delay would get them both caught. Finally, Pride spoke up, breaking the tension.
"Can you meet me somewhere?"
Jay stared silently, then nodded.
"Good," the dark-haired Eco smiled, "I just think after what we went through, we've got some things to talk about and this is hardly the place. I know a spot where we won't be disturbed."
"Sounds fine," agreed Jay, "Though I don't know what we need to discuss. Give me the directions."
As Pride detailed the directions, Jay found himself intrigued. He became intensely aware of the fact that he and Pride were crouched, very close together, leaning towards each other to carry out their whispered conversation. Jay felt a slight flush prickle at the back of his neck and hoped Pride wouldn't notice his red ears.
"Okay, got all that?" Pride was finishing up.
"Yeah, no problem," muttered Jay, "Tomorrow at midday, I can get away easily." The dark young man was so close, Jay could feel his body heat through the thin nylon of his uniform. What was going on?!
Pride grinned again, and reaching out a hand to steady himself, caught Jay's shoulder.
"Time for me to go," he said softly, "But before I do, here's a taste of what we need to discuss..."
Pride leaned closer to Jay and suddenly planted his lips on the blond's. Jay froze and then the heat in his ears and neck burst out all over his body. Pride's tongue darted into Jay's mouth, slipping out as quickly as it had entered. The, suddenly, he stood and slipped away, vanishing into the nearby trees. Jay knelt behind the bushes, blushing a furious red, completely dumbfounded at Pride's sudden kiss.
Finally, after a few long moments, Jay steadied himself. He tried to calm down, before standing up and pacing the rest of the perimeter. He hoped the gentle breeze would cool his burning face before he had to return to the control room. There would definitely be hell to pay if anyone found out about that kiss! Jay walked in silence, occasionally nodding to various Technos he passed, one thought foremost in his mind...
"What on earth is going to happen TOMORROW?!"
Author: Tabitha R. Jones (me in other words)
Fandom: The Tribe
Pairing: Jay/Pride (possible others as the story progresses.... if you don't like slash, please don't read!)
Disclaimer: I do not now nor have I ever owned the Tribe or its characters. They are all the property of Cloud 9, and I am just playing in their world.
Rating: This chapter, PG-13. Future chapters? Probably R!
Summary/Genre: Action/romance/slash/drama (come on, it's the Tribe...). Jay and Pride are troubled by something-- could it be a desire for hot man lovin' with each other?! ^_~ 1194 words for part one.
Archiving: Ask me first. Also, I will be posting it to FanFic.net.
Comments: Yes, please! But be gentle, it's my first fic in years! ^_^;
***********************************************************
Episode 1:
Jay sat in the control room, his eyes fixed on the monitor in front of him, his hands ready at the keyboard. To all appearances, he seemed engrossed in his work, carefully watching the cam broadcasts for signs of trouble. Ever since Pride's abortive attempt to sabotage the power plant, Ram had been more paranoid than usual and more demanding- which meant longer hours for all the Technos. Jay leaned his chin on his hand and stifled a yawn, hoping no one would notice his boredom. He tried to shake off the lethargy creeping over him by stretching- when that failed, he signed heavily and stood up.
"You, take over at this station," he ordered, "I've got to get some air."
"Yes, sir!" The masked Techno slid into Jay's empty chair.
As Jay strode from the room, he pondered where he should go on his walk. A quick circuit around the perimeter should clear his head- and give him the opportunity to make sure his security measures were being enforced. He smiled to himself at his workaholic tendencies and set off.
Several minutes of brisk walking later, Jay found himself poolside at the back of the hotel. All his guards had had nothing to report and Jay sighed to himself again. His walk was proving to be as boring as monitor duty. He felt a twinge in his leg and realized his injuries from his struggle with Pride atop Ram's electrified fence were still too fresh for his usual level of activity. He noticed an empty lounge chair at the far side of the pool and made for it. Sitting on its edge, he looked about to make sure no one would catch him in such an undignified piece of furniture.
It was truly a beautiful day. The sun glinted off the metal pool railings, birds chirped in the trees and bushes, and best of all, the pool area seemed to be deserted. Making a mental note to post more guards around the pool, Jay gingerly leaned back in the lounger and closed his eyes, preparing to meditate.
"Ah," though Jay, "This could be dangerous. I'd better not fall asleep on duty." He tried to clear his mind, but found one thought would not vanish in the blank void he tried to conjure.
"Pride."
Jay thought his name and unbidden, pictured the dark-haired young man. They'd struggled together on the power plant's fence, Jay trying to apprehend Pride while also trying to delay the power plant's activation. Pride has been struggling to escape. In the confusion, both the young men panicked and had barely escaped electrocution. Jay had failed- not only to capture Pride, but also to convince Ram to stop his countdown to power. Jay still had his burns to remind him that he'd lost that battle- but the sting was nothing compared to the bitter sting of his own failure.
Yet another thought rankled him- he, Jay, the general of the powerful Techno tribe, had been saved by Pride. That was almost too much- Jay was used to having the upper hand in most situations and now he knew he owed his life to another.
Meditation certainly wasn't going to help. Swearing under his breath, Jay sat up quickly, opening his eyes. He almost shouted when he saw a tall, dark figure duck behind a bush at the edge of the terrace. Quickly regaining his composure, he silently stalked to the terrace's edge and aimed his weapon at the shrubbery.
"It'll go better for you if you come out of there quietly," he announced, ready to fire.
The bushes rustled and parted, and Jay found himself face to face with Pride.
"What do you think you're doing?" Jay hissed, glancing around quickly. Certain the terrace and pool were clear of Technos, he ducked behind the bushes himself.
"I came by to see you," whispered Pride, "Just to see how you were after the... accident..."
"I'll be fine," whispered Jay, remembering Ebony's tender care of his wounds, "But this is an insane thing to do. Security is through the roof right now, Ram's on one of his tears again- in no small part, thanks to you! I didn't know you had a death wish!"
To Jay's surprise, Pride grinned, "I'm pretty good at sneaking around, if you hadn't noticed."
"Yeah, I've got the burns to prove that," Jay grimaced, "You're not as good at sneaking OUT of places."
Pride's face became sober and he glanced at the ground. "Yeah... about that... I just wanted to well, apologize."
"Don't worry about it," interrupted Jay, "I should be thanking you. You managed to pull me down before I was hurt too badly. So, thanks. I owe you one."
"One what?" asked Pride, glancing up to look at Jay. Their eyes met for a moment.
"A favor." But within reason," replied Jay, "I can't very well turn off the power for you."
Pride was silent for a long while, and Jay feared the delay would get them both caught. Finally, Pride spoke up, breaking the tension.
"Can you meet me somewhere?"
Jay stared silently, then nodded.
"Good," the dark-haired Eco smiled, "I just think after what we went through, we've got some things to talk about and this is hardly the place. I know a spot where we won't be disturbed."
"Sounds fine," agreed Jay, "Though I don't know what we need to discuss. Give me the directions."
As Pride detailed the directions, Jay found himself intrigued. He became intensely aware of the fact that he and Pride were crouched, very close together, leaning towards each other to carry out their whispered conversation. Jay felt a slight flush prickle at the back of his neck and hoped Pride wouldn't notice his red ears.
"Okay, got all that?" Pride was finishing up.
"Yeah, no problem," muttered Jay, "Tomorrow at midday, I can get away easily." The dark young man was so close, Jay could feel his body heat through the thin nylon of his uniform. What was going on?!
Pride grinned again, and reaching out a hand to steady himself, caught Jay's shoulder.
"Time for me to go," he said softly, "But before I do, here's a taste of what we need to discuss..."
Pride leaned closer to Jay and suddenly planted his lips on the blond's. Jay froze and then the heat in his ears and neck burst out all over his body. Pride's tongue darted into Jay's mouth, slipping out as quickly as it had entered. The, suddenly, he stood and slipped away, vanishing into the nearby trees. Jay knelt behind the bushes, blushing a furious red, completely dumbfounded at Pride's sudden kiss.
Finally, after a few long moments, Jay steadied himself. He tried to calm down, before standing up and pacing the rest of the perimeter. He hoped the gentle breeze would cool his burning face before he had to return to the control room. There would definitely be hell to pay if anyone found out about that kiss! Jay walked in silence, occasionally nodding to various Technos he passed, one thought foremost in his mind...
"What on earth is going to happen TOMORROW?!"
