Title: Bounce
Character Claimed: Torn
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Torn/Ashelin (because I'm sure we all agree that this pairing is an ignored one)
Set: Before Jak II
Word Count: 496
Short Summary: OMG! It's het. It burns! Oh god it burns! /cough/ Anyway… Torn's decided to leave the Krimzon Guard, but that wasn't the hardest part. (My second entry for Jemisard's "Past" drabble challenge. I don't get to write Torn as much as I would like, so every chance is most welcomed.)
He'd always been a night person. Which had been convenient when it came to most of the things in his life. When he'd first joined the Guard all his duties usually occurred at night. As a commander, all the paper work usually got done at night. And as a boyfriend… those things, usually occurred at night as well.
Tonight, it was no different.
She approached soundlessly, even with those boots of hers. He wasn't sure if she knew she did it. Maybe all those years of trying to surprise him and failing still hadn't gotten it out of her system.
"Took you long enough." He smirked, eyes still lowered, watching people milling mindlessly below.
He didn't have to turn around to know she was rolling her eyes.
Ashelin sat down next to him and let her feet dangle over the edge of the roof just as his own were.
"So?" She asked. "What's so important that I had to rush over here?"
He glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes. She was turned toward him and waiting for an answer. She wouldn't wait much longer; he knew that. She had always been the impatient type.
A sigh and then, "I'm leaving the Guard."
It was so simple a statement, but the complexities it brought up were mind-boggling. There was silence for a few moments. He still hadn't been able to look at her.
"Torn…"
There wasn't really anything left for him to say. He'd been thinking about this for a while. And even though he'd never mentioned anything to her, he knew that she'd suspected it all along.
She sighed tiredly, shaking her head in… was it… disbelief? Or maybe…
Emotions were things he had never been good at deciphering.
"He'll never let you leave." There was her serious stare. He was supposed to back down now, right?
"I'm not expecting him to." He said.
This had been a long time coming. And if he were truly honest with himself, he'd have known it was inevitable from his very first day in uniform. Things were not what they seemed. But he'd hoped… Thought that maybe, just maybe there was still a chance.
But that didn't mean that she had to give up too. She'd have to find her own way.
"You do know what this means?" She asked.
She was watching him closely, looking for a sign of weakness, another habit of hers. It was ingrained and he knew she couldn't help it. And if she found it, she would pounce, it was just in her nature.
But it wasn't in his nature to bend. Not anymore.
He felt a warm leather clad hand drape over his own.
"Torn?"
He pulled his hand away and stood up.
"I should go." He said.
"Torn, don't do anything stupid." She called to him. "This isn't settled. We need to talk about this!"
"Yeah. I know. Later. We'll talk later. I promise." He grit his teeth. "Bye Ashe."
"Bounce"- Southern American slang; means 'to leave'.
Oh. Kay. /sigh/