Prompt: 40 - Noble
Rating: K+
Word Count: 514
Summary: He hated when Martha made sense.
A/N: Here's my second drabble. I'm really enjoying writing these, so hopefully next one will be up soon. Thank you so much for the review and please enjoy!
…
"Nagisa!"
Muffling a shriek of surprise, the mug in Carly's hands tumbled to the floor and splintered the glass, brown liquid splattering the clean floor. "J-Jack!" she cried, placing a hand to her thumping heartbeat. "Oh, Geez. I'm sorry!"
Jack watched in annoyance as she floundered around Martha's no longer pristine kitchen. "Useless," he muttered under his breath, watching the way her slim shoulders stiffened at the word.
Martha stepped into the kitchen to find Jack towering over Carly as she attempted to pick up shattered glass from the floor. "What happened, dear?"
"I'm sorry!" Carly said quickly, bowing her head. "I'm just so darned clumsy." At those words, she groaned in pain as a shard of the mug split the skin of her palm and crimson began to pool there.
Jack sighed in irritation and grabbed a paper towel from nearby to press gently over Carly's wound, his eyes on her hand and his touch a bit rough. "Haven't you learned to be a bit more careful?" he asked.
Carly swallowed the surge of uncharacteristic anger and pulled her hand out of his grasp, noticing the twitch in his left eyebrow. "Thanks, Jack. I'm fine," she said before she quickly left the kitchen.
Martha eyed the boy she had practically raised as her own and sighed softly, noticing the peeved expression on his face. "Maybe you should just tell her."
"Tell her what?" asked Jack, aloof.
These boys of hers were a bunch of hardheaded fools, she mused. "That you would've made the sacrifice. That you would've died with her, if only she had given you the chance to do so."
"That is none of Carly's business," Jack replied, tone short of being condescending. After all, this was the only mother he had known for years; he respected her.
"It is her business. She has no idea of what transpired between the two of you and that duel. As far as she knows, you still think of her as an irritating reporter. A paparazzi."
He hated when Martha made sense, but telling Carly that she had nearly killed him wasn't something he ever wanted to do. She would never forgive herself, and Jack wouldn't be able to put that weight over her shoulders. Carly didn't deserve it and he would be damned if he put the woman he… loved in that kind of situation. It had been easier to fall back to the patterns of the time before the Dark Signers.
"You love her… don't you?" Martha asked him softly, settling a hand on his arm. At his silence she squeezed. "Jack?"
"Yes," he breathed, tone low.
"Then tell her. You're a noble man who deserves happiness. You're also one of my sons," she said with a smile. "She's a good girl who loves you just as much. Don't make the mistake of pushing her away."
With that, Martha set about cleaning up what remained of the spill and watched as Jack swept out of the room, hoping that he found the courage and strength to enjoy the freedom of being in love.