Title: In Admiration - Part 5

Fandom: Lost

Characters: Jack Shephard, Boone Carlyle

Prompt: #40 Drink

Author's Notes: Written for the LiveJournal community slash100 (underscore between "slash" and "100" – for some reason FFN deletes it)

…………

Jack looked over from where he sat besides Kate at a campfire. He hadn't thought his running off into the jungle would cause chaos among the survivors, but he seemed to get back in time. He looked over to where Boone was sitting on a rock, looking out across the ocean. Sawyer was telling him something, and Jack was certain that whatever the other man was saying wasn't comforting.

"It's a good thing you're always around to get him out of trouble, huh?" Kate commented. She must have noticed Jack looking in Boone's direction. "That's twice today."

Jack sighed. "I should go talk to him. The others overreacted and didn't see that he was trying to help." Jack put the cup he was using down in the sand, stretching as he stood. He should have put someone in charge before he took off. Then none of this would have happened. Of course, if he had gotten the sleep he needed, it wouldn't have happened either, but he did find the caves, so the day wasn't a total loss. He could have done without losing his mind and chasing his dead father around the jungle, though.

He stopped a couple meters from Boone, suddenly unsure if he should talk to him or just leave the younger man alone. Jack also understood, though, that talking to Boone might not only make Boone feel better about taking the water, but it would make the others feel better about Boone, and Jack feel better about leaving them all. Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets, making the last few strides between them. "Hey," he said simply.

Boone looked up at Jack, expression blank. "Hey," he mirrored, but his tone of voice matched his expression.

"Mind if I sit down?" When he didn't get a response, Jack just lowered himself into the sand so he could face Boone. "I wasn't running away from you before. I..." Jack swallowed hard, realizing he should tell the truth in the situation because any lie he crafted might not have been good enough. "I thought I saw my father."

It was quiet for a moment, and all Jack could hear was the crackling of the various campfires around them and the light conversation of the other survivors. "Was he on the plane?" Boone asked, gaze still away from Jack, but his voice was softer.

"I thought he was; now I'm not so sure." At the confused look he got from Boone, Jack decided he should explain. "My father took off to Sydney, and my mother... She told me go after him. Bring him back. When I got there I found out he was dead, and I was bringing him home for the funeral. Oceanic gave me a hard time about checking the coffin."

"So you spent the whole day chasing your dead father around the island?"

Jack nodded slowly, realizing how insane he must have sounded. Hell, he still couldn't believe it himself. "Pretty much."

The slightest of a grin crossed Boone's expression. "So you had a psychotic episode and I'm the one everyone hates right now."

"Seems to sum up the day."

"He called me a pretty boy," Boone said, scowling.

"Who did?"

"Charlie."

"Well..." Jack wasn't sure what to say. Boone's features did make him pretty, but the younger man was obviously not taking it as a compliment. Jack found himself unable to look away as Boone bit his bottom lip. "He was probably just upset because of what happened to Claire, but there was really no harm done. And there are always worse things to be called."

"It just shows that no one takes me seriously around here," Boone's voice was louder, bolder, and he sounded exasperated. "You left and no one was watching the water. What else was I supposed to do? It was either I took the water or waited for someone else to. I couldn't bear the thought of people having to go to Sawyer whenever they wanted a drink."

Jack winced. He hadn't even thought that things could have played out that way instead. Even if it had worked out like that, though, he still found the caves with an endless supply of fresh water, so Sawyer's monopoly wouldn't have lasted very long. Boone sighed heavily, resting his head on his hands as he leaned his elbows against his knees. Jack was suddenly made aware of how close they were to each other, but Boone's gaze was fixed on the sand at his feet. Jack found himself beginning to wonder if leaning forward to close the gap between them would help make Boone feel better, let him see that someone believed in him.

"Maybe Shannon was right when she said I should stop trying to save people."

Jack shrugged. "You could do that. Or you could find a different way to be helpful. There's different ways to contribute. Charlie may have criticized you for taking the water, but he told me about the woman in the water this morning. He said he didn't even know how to swim. He's still helping, though. He watches out for Claire, which helps me because I can't keep track of how she's doing everyday."

Boone looked up, making eye contact with Jack for the first time since Jack sat down in front of him. His gaze was so fierce that Jack had to suppress the shiver that ran down his spine. "So what can I do for you?" Jack had to fight to keep himself from groaning out loud. He doubted the intentions of Boone's words were what some part of his brain wanted them to be.

"Some people are moving with me to the caves tomorrow. I'm going to need all the help I can get moving gear over there."

"I think I can manage that without you needing to save me."

Jack just nodded. He found himself kind of wishing, though, that Boone would need his help. He wanted to get to know the younger man better. That way, even if Boone was completely uninterested, Jack could sleep a little better at night knowing he was attracted to Boone on more than a physical level.