Jack looked up at him from where he sat with Boone at the computer and gave him an incredulous look. "Yeah, no kidding," he said, sounding rather bratish Boone thought. "What's the timer connected to?"
"The computer," Sayid replied, picking up on Jack's tone and choosing to play along.
Jack shot him a look. "What else, brain cell?" he asked, shifting in his chair and throwing another piece of fruit into his mouth.
"I believe there is something else here," Sayid said, gesturing to something Boone and Jack couldn't see from their vantage point. "But it goes into the wall," he explained.
"So follow it," Jack instructed, looking a little uninterested.
"Do you suggest I deconstruct the wall, Jack?" Sayid asked.
Jack shrugged. "Ask Michael about it, he knows about load bearing and stuff doesn't he?" he suggested. "Locke undoubtedly has some dangerous looking tools you could use somewhere."
"Yes, I'll get onto that," Sayid replied, not really sounding like he would. He then gave Jack a fleeting look and left the room.
Boone turned to face Jack who leaned back in his chair and screwed his eyes shut.
"What's with you?" Boone asked.
Jack opened his eyes and turned to face Boone. "What do mean 'what's with me?'"
"You're acting like Shannon," Boone pointed out.
Jack sighed and almost smiled. "Well, she does spend all day bitching at me, her influence must be rubbing off."
"Is she being a pain?" Boone asked, feeling embarrassed for her. Something he always ended up doing because she could never be bothered to feel embarrassed for herself.
"I think it's her and Sawyer together," Jack stated. "Either one of them I could probably handle but they're like a tag team of bitching and whining and questioning every little thing that I diagnose."
"You're getting stressed again," Boone told him. "I don't like it when you're stressed, it makes me stressed."
Jack smiled but it still wasn't a full smile. "Sorry," he said, sounding weary.
"No, don't apologise, I didn't mean it like that," Boone said. "I just don't like seeing you like that."
Jack nodded. "Sorry."
"Why do you keep saying sorry?" Boone asked.
Jack looked at him and shrugged a little. "I don't know what else I'm supposed to say."
"Well sorry doesn't fit, say something else," Boone instructed.
"Okay," Jack said. "You don't have to get stressed out because I get stressed out. You don't have to worry about stuff like that, I'm a doctor, I'm used to stress."
"You're also used to being off duty," Boone pointed out. "You really need to learn when to share the burden."
"Boone, we've been through this..." Jack began.
"Okay, fine, not the medical stuff, I get it," Boone interrupted. "You have to be the doctor and there's not really anything anyone can do to help you with that. But there's other stuff. Like let Shannon bitch at me for a while, I don't mind, I'm used to it."
"But she doesn't want to bitch at you, Boone," Jack pointed out. "She wants to bitch at me. I'm the bad guy and she wants me to know it."
"You're not the bad guy," Boone said. "You saved her life. And mine. And Sawyer's. And Rose's too."
Jack looked at him. "I don't want you to look at me like that."
Boone furrowed his brow. "Look at you like what?"
"Like..." Jack trailed off and struggled for the words. "I just want you to look at me like I'm Jack. I just wanna be Jack. I don't want to be the guy that saved your life. Don't look at me like that. Sarah used to look at me like that."
"Oh," Boone said, looking down. He was reminding Jack of the ex-wife that he wasn't sad to lose. That wasn't good. Jack saved her life and then felt obligated to marry her. Not that Jack had ever spelt it out like that but Boone had read between the lines and knew that was what he meant. And he was worried that Jack felt obligated to him in the same way. But he knew he didn't have anything to base that on because he and Jack were together before the whole life saving thing but the feeling wasn't really going away either.
"Boone?" Jack said.
Boone looked up a little. "Yeah?"
"Don't ever listen to anything I say to you," Jack told him.
"Does that include that thing you said to me earlier about CPR and pens and keeping you up at night?" Boone asked.
Jack smiled at him and it was a real smile this time. "No, that I meant," he told him. "I really meant it."
Boone smiled back. "Good. I liked that."
"Sorry about going insane on you every so often," Jack said.
"That's okay," Boone replied. "At least you took it out on Sayid and not me."
"Well I don't want to upset you," Jack said. "You might not do that stuff you did last night ever again."
Boone looked at him. "You want me to do it again?"
Jack gave him a look. "What do you think?"
Boone smiled at him and then glanced around the room before settling his eyes on Jack again. "Like now?"
Jack laughed a little. "Boone, it's the middle of the day."
"Right," Boone said. "You're one of those guys who can only do it at night and only in the bedroom."
"No I'm not," Jack insisted.
"I bet you are," Boone continued, giving him a teasing look.
"I bet you are," Jack countered.
Boone shook his head. "All you."
Jack rolled his eyes. "I can't do anything right now, I'm busy, okay?"
"No you're not," Boone said. "You've been sat there sulking for the best part of an hour."
"I wasn't sulking," Jack defended.
"You were sulking," Boone insisted.
"You try dealing with Shannon," Jack said.
"I've had to deal with her for the past twelve years," Boone pointed out.
"I bet you sulked about it," Jack said, pouting again slightly.
"You're acting like a little kid," Boone told him.
Jack stopped pouting and looked up at him. "Maybe I want someone to look after me," he said.
"I'll look after you," Boone offered.
Jack smiled at him. "I know you will," he replied. "You'd look after anyone given half a chance."
"Yeah," Boone agreed. "But mainly you."
Jack looked at Boone sideways, almost a sneaky look, and then shifted his chair a little closer. Boone looked at him but Jack refused to meet his eyes.
"What are you doing?" Boone asked.
"Nothing," Jack replied, his gaze wandering around the room. He then shifted his chair closer again and turned his whole body to face Boone.
"You're not doing anything?" Boone asked.
Jack gave him a smile. "Not yet," he replied, leaning in a little closer.
Jack was acting goofy and Boone couldn't quite get his head around it. Jack didn't do goofy. Jack was serious. He could do cute too but it was always serious cute, not goofy cute like this. But he seemed happy so Boone guessed he was happy too. And he was fairly sure Jack was going to kiss him so he was willing to go with anything right now.
But Jack didn't kiss him, he didn't do anything, he just stared at Boone and Boone just stared back, trying not to look hopeful or confused or disappointed. Then suddenly Jack smiled widely and shook his head a little.
"You were totally just gonna sit there all day, weren't you?" Jack asked.
"You were the one making a move," Boone retorted. "You can't just stop half way through."
Jack smiled again. "I wanted to see if you'd meet me half way."
"You're being insane today, you know that?" Boone told him.
Jack sighed. "You make me happy," he stated. "And last night made me very happy. But there's only so much general island crap I can take before I start turning into..."
"A grumpy old man?" Boone finished.
Jack gave him a look. "You want me to kiss you?"
Boone smiled at him. "Yes, please."
Jack smiled back and reached his arm around Boone's neck, pulling him in closer and making their lips meet. Boone closed his eyes and parted his lips and lost himself in the sensation. He put his hand up to the side of Jack's face to pull their mouths together and deepen the kiss, his other hand finding it's way onto Jack's thigh. Jack took hold of his hand and entwined their fingers, giving him a pull in an attempt to get their bodies closer together, apparently forgetting that Boone only had one good leg in the process. Boone stumbled slightly in his transition from chair to Jack and wound up putting far too much weight on his bad leg.
"Ow," he muttered.
Jack pulled away. "Shit, sorry, I didn't mean to do that, Boone."
Boone shook his head. "That's okay," he said quickly. He put the weight fully onto his good leg and pulled himself into Jack's lap. "See, all good."
Jack looked unsure. "Is your leg okay?" he asked, looking down at it.
"It's still attached, isn't it?" Boone shrugged.
Jack looked like he was going to say something so Boone leant in and kissed him again before he got the chance. Which Jack really didn't seem to mind as he kissed him back forcefully, moving his arm from his neck to his lower back, holding him steady, his other hand still entwined with Boone's.
"Jack!" Shannon yelled from the other room. Not like it was an emergency, just like she was impatient.
Jack pulled away and looked pissed off, trying to catch his breath. "How does she shout that loud?"
"Practice," Boone replied, knowing exactly what she was like as a kid.
"Jack!" Shannon shouted again. "Can you come here a sec?"
Jack sighed. "Would you say you guys are close or are you okay with me smothering her with a pillow?" he asked.
Boone smiled. "Good luck," he said. "She'll fight you to the end."
Jack nodded. "Yeah, probably wouldn't even shut her up would it?"
"Jack!"
"Yeah, I'm coming," Jack yelled back. He turned to Boone. "I better, y'know." Boone nodded and moved himself back to the chair. "See this is why I never have sex during the day," Jack said, standing up. "It's not for lack of trying."
Boone smiled at him. "Whatever you say."
"When I come back, you're gonna tell me your excuse," Jack said.
"Jack!" Shannon yelled again.
"You better be dying," Jack yelled back, heading out of the room.