John James Searle (inneedofrepair) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-12-21 22:39:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | ^ week 24, jacklyn baker, john james searle, thomas galloway, | jack and searle, | jack and tom |
Week 24 - Wednesday evening
Characters: Jack, Tom and Searle.
Location: Tom and Searle’s shared room.
Summary: Searle and Jack are still sneaking around so they can kiss, but they lose track of time and Tom finds them.
Rating: PG-13
The week had started out stressful with Alice and Jed shouting, which was in direct contrast with the wedding only the day before. It had taken Searle a lot of willpower not to say something to Jed after seeing Alice walking around like a zombie following the blowout, but he was finally on good terms with the man and, besides which, he knew it really wasn’t any of his business.
It was much easier to fill his days with distractions, which included chores, continuing his cooking lessons with Bridget, spending more quality time with Molly now that she was all but recovered, and his personal favorite, hanging out with Jack. Being with Jack had always been fun, but now since they goofed off just as much as they found themselves kissing in quiet corners, time with Jack had been extra interesting. What had also become interesting (if not frustrating) was trying to find a good place to kiss.
Outside was too cold, and the attic had quickly proven to be similarly too cold. Before even trying the cellar, Searle decided to pull Jack into his shared room with Tom. It was about the time when Tom would have just started his guard duty, so Searle was convinced he and Jack could have some alone time in comfort for once.
Feeling extra playful, once the door was closed Searle grabbed Jack around the middle and picked her up, carrying her over to his bed where he dumped her rather unceremoniously.
“Remember the last time we were in bed together?” It had been back at Siena Suites and seemed like forever ago.
Jack laughed and the only that kept her from yelling at him for picking her up was the fact that she didn’t want to get any of the grown ups’ attention. Everything had been tense the past couple of days and she didn’t want her fun ruined. Instead, she lay with her head on Searle’s pillow and spread her arms and legs.
“Sorry, no room for you. It’s a good thing, cause last time Jed almost killed you.”
Searle remembered that, and it should have been enough to make him take several paces away from the bed, but instead he pinned Jack’s spread arms against the mattress with his hands and kissed her. It was amazing how easy it was to do that now, when a few weeks ago the thought rarely crossed his mind.
They’d progressed from sitting in the attic to lying down but being in Searle’s bed was enough to make her heart pound. Even though all they ever did was kiss (something Jack liked to think she’d gotten pretty good at in the past couple weeks), it felt scary and exciting at the same time. This was the most comfortable they’d been. She kissed Searle back and then tried to wrestle her arms free.
Jack’s struggling caused Searle to lift his hands, but also break the kiss. He didn’t go too far, however, merely moving his hands to Jack’s side in attempt to push her over a bit. “I’ll have to climb on top of you if you don’t move,” he teased, but the thought of it made heat rise in his cheeks.
Jack blushed too. She didn’t know what to say about that, so instead she moved over. “Better, you baby?” she joked.
Searle filled up the free space Jack provided by moving, and tentatively settled his arm over and around her. He was just now realizing how different it felt to be on a bed than lying in dust in the attic, but it wasn’t a bad different. “Yeah,” he answered, but in a tone lacking any jest, as he looked over at Jack.
This really wasn’t a big deal, Jack told herself. No different than kissing in the attic. And if they wanted to do any kissing at all today, they should probably start back up again before they both lost their nerve. As usual, she’d have to do it. Jack turned her head, steeled her nerve and returned her mouth to Searle’s, which Searle reacted to by kissing her back. The nerves were still in there, but easier to deal with when he was partaking in an activity that made it remarkably hard to think.
After only a short time, Searle shifted to lie more on his side facing Jack, and he used his arm around her to coax her to do the same thing. He slid his hand to the small of her back, and then along her spine toward her shoulders. Idly, he wondered what it would feel like if his hand were beneath her shirt, but when his fingers found her hair and threaded there, he was able to ease the thought out of his mind.
Jack rolled towards him, tingling a bit from the feeling of Searle’s hand along her back. She mimicked his movements, her own hand pushing into his hair. Jack let her nails scrape against his scalp, remembering how he’d liked a head scratch. Somehow, the space between the two of them was getting smaller.
Searle wasn’t entirely sure where the low sound that came out of him came from, but it had to be in reaction to kissing a girl and getting his head scratched at the same time. It was almost embarrassing, but at the same time he remembered how much he liked it when Jack gave similar reactions. He wondered if she liked it, but either way, he did know of something she definitely liked.
He barely had a chance to wonder at the wet sound their mouths made as they parted, because he’d pulled away from the kiss with the express purpose of kissing Jack’s neck. En route, his nose collided with her chin and he recoiled on instinct.
“Sorry.”
Jack giggled, relieved to have something to break up the tension. She actually hadn’t expected how good it would feel to hear Searle make that noise and know she made him do that. Somehow, it was almost as good as kissing him. It was a pretty strong feeling, so she was glad to just laugh.
“Smooth,” she teased.
“Shut up,” Searle complained, though he laughed a moment later, unable to help it. It did feel good to laugh, not in the least because it reminded him of who he was kissing. Jack. He’d done plenty of stupid things in front of her before, so it was no use getting mortified.
“I want to give you a hickey,” Searle said, while touching Jack’s neck, “but then everyone would know.” That was something he didn’t really want to think about.
Jack could feel her face grow hot when she thought about what it would take to get to get a hickey, though she wasn’t quite sure about the mechanics of that. Maybe it was best he couldn’t. “Yeah. Hey, when do you think Tom is going to be back?”
“He has guard duty at night. Not for a while.” Since Searle’s shift was following Tom’s, he was always very aware of when the veteran was nearing the end of his rounds.
“Good. Poke me when it’s close, okay?”
“Okay,” Searle promised.
**
The old adage time flies when you’re having fun was certainly proving itself. Searle found himself checking the watch on his wrist fewer and fewer times the heavier the make out session between he and Jack became, and each time he did check his watch it seemed time was moving faster than he ever remembered it being able to move. This should have concerned him, however, with Jack’s hands on him and his tongue in her mouth, all thoughts of time gradually became irrelevant to his being and he promptly forgot all about it. For Jack, it was like a short period of time just felt really long now that they were in it. If asked, she would have sworn they’d only been up here for maybe twenty minutes. But mostly it felt too good to think about other things - like her mouth and Searle’s mouth and the way her fingers were tangled in his hair.
So, when the end of Tom’s guard shift came around, Jack and Searle were still wrapped up in each other on his bed, with Searle’s hand firmly on Jack’s back, and his face glued to hers.
“What the - “ Tom’s voice sounded as the beam from his flashlight fell on the two teens. He’d returned from guard duty to get the younger man up and find out why he hadn’t met him outside at shift change. Now he knew why, and disappointment vied with annoyance for which emotion he felt more strongly at the moment.
“I’m getting too old for this shit,” he muttered, beginning to feel like a broken record. At least this was something he had plenty of experience with: Searle was hardly the first young man who’d snuck a woman into his quarters at night. He was going to have to have a long conversation with all the teenagers about rules, something he should have done already now that he thought about it.
“All right kids, makeout time’s over. Get your asses off the bed, now!” He was perfectly prepared to forcibly separate the two, but was willing to give them a chance to do it themselves.
Jack didn’t have to be told twice. She’d pulled back from Searle as soon as she heard the door open but it felt like the two of them were stuck in a tangle of arms and legs in Searle’s bed and it took some awkward maneuvering to finally climb to her feet. Her face was burning up and she could feel the familiar sense of dread in her stomach at being caught at something. We are so dead.
“I can go,” Jack suggested, once she had her breath back. Searle stared at Jack from his position beside her, the expression suggesting he didn’t appreciate her willingness to leave him all alone with Tom.
“No, you can’t, not quite yet.” Tom eyed both the teens, and moved to turn up the camp light he had stowed on his desk so he could turn off the flashlight. He sat on the edge of his desk and looked at the two teens wearily, tired from the guard shift and ready for some sleep but having to deal with this idiocy first.
“I have to admit, I thought you both were more mature than this but I guess I shouldn’t have expected as much from a couple of kids.” He used the term deliberately, especially since Searle knew Tom normally considered him an adult. “You know how dangerous the world is out there now, but you didn’t stop and think about what you were doing or what might have happened. Things can get out of hand quickly without you meaning them to, and can have consequences that last the rest of your life.”
He ran a hand through his hair and yawned. “OK. New rule. Searle, you aren’t to be in the same room as Jack at night unless there’s an adult present. If the two of you are in the same room during daylight hours, the door has to be open and there has to be at least one foot from each of you touching the floor.”
“That’s not fair,” Searle protested, even though his bright red face gave away how uncomfortable he was. “We’re responsible. Nothing was going to get out of hand.” Beside him, Jack was quiet. Tom wasn’t Jed and she wasn’t sure she had the nerve to argue.
“Who said life was fair?” Tom asked, all affability gone. “If you were being responsible I wouldn’t have had to come find you to take your turn on guard duty instead of meeting me outside when your shift began like you should have.”
That shut Searle up fast, and he hung his head. There was no arguing that Tom was right, he’d been completely irresponsible about guard duty. “I’m sorry.”
That admission drew a dark chuckle from the veteran, who eyed the younger man with a grim smile. “Oh you haven’t even begun to see sorry yet, son. Grab your gear and get your ass out to your post, then come find me once your shift is over and we’ll determine your punishment then. Dismissed.”
Without daring to exchange a look with Jack, Searle kept his eyes down as he crossed the room to get his gun, then slipped past Tom to exit the room. Guard duty was going to be tense that night as Searle ran through every punishment he could think of at Tom’s hands.
Jack’s rush of sympathy for Searle was replaced with dread that it was her turn to get yelled at. “Am I punished too?”
“No, you’re not, Jack. You didn’t shirk guard duty.” Tom told her, his expression softening a bit. “Have a seat, I want to talk to you for a minute.”
To be honest, if she wasn’t being punished, Jack would much rather go somewhere else. Far away. Where she could sit in the dark and try to forget the embarrassment of being caught kissing Searle. But what choice did she have?
Jack sat back down on Searle’s bed, her good hand fidgeting with the hem of her T-shirt.
Tom sat down beside her and looked at her seriously, trying not to smile. “I know you’ve carried a torch for Searle for a long time now, and it must feel pretty good to finally be getting some attention from him in that way, but you need to be careful.”
Jack’s face burned and her gaze was on her knees. He knew? Tom knew? How did he know? She never said anything. Was she really that obvious? Oh god, who else knew? She was going to die of embarrassment. Just die.
“We - we’re not doing anything,” she stammered out, hoping the earth would swallow her up.
“Not yet you weren’t,” Tom agreed, his tone gentle, “but late at night, in bed alone, just the two of you?” He shook his head. “It’s very easy to go from ‘not doing anything’ to ‘doing everything’. You’re only thirteen Jack, and maybe you’re not thinking about that yet, but Searle’s sixteen. He’s bigger than you and it’d be awfully easy for both of you to get carried away before you realize what it is you’re doing.”
He knew this was probably the last conversation she ever wanted to have with him, it was fairly apparent from the deep blush the girl was sporting, but it had to be done.
It was true she didn’t want to talk about this, so Jack picked the easiest part of Tom’s words to respond to. “He’s bigger than me?” she repeated. Of course Searle was bigger than her, he was older. Tom just said so.
“He’s stronger than you, Jack.” Tom emphasised. “Bigger, stronger and heavier. If he gets carried away you’re not going to be able to stop him.” He hated having this conversation almost as much as she did, but if they were going to indulge in risky behavior they had to be aware of the potential complications.
Jack stiffened. “Searle won’t do anything bad to me!” she squeaked, offended on his behalf.
“Not intentionally, no.” Tom agreed.
Jack took a breath and when she answered her voice was more firm. “Not ever.” Searle could never hurt her. Jack couldn’t imagine a time when he ever would.
Tom sighed. “Jack, let me ask you a question: Do you think I was a sixteen year old boy once upon a time?”
“Well, yeah, I guess,” the girl answered, though she didn’t see what that had to do with anything.
“Then do you think that maybe I know what I’m talking about when I say I know what it’s like to be a sixteen year old boy?”
“But - but that’s you, that’s not Searle,” Jack protested. “He’s the best person I know, way better than me. He won’t hurt me.”
“Jack, he’s sixteen.” Tom felt like he was beating his head against a wall. It had been easier with his son: he’d tried explanations and sweet reason, then put the fear of god into the kid. “At a certain point he could very easily get carried away and then he wouldn’t be thinking: he’d be acting the way mother nature designed sixteen year old boys to act when they get into these kind of situations. He wouldn’t stop to think about what he was doing, or what the consequences might be. Do you understand what I’m trying to say Jack?”
All Jack could think was that Tom was convinced Searle would hurt her and she had to defend him. “It’s not his fault, though. It was me. It was my idea, I kissed him. I did it, not Searle.”
Tom sighed and gave up trying to pound sense into her skull. “I’m not punishing him for kissing you Jack, I’m punishing him for missing his guard shift. If the two of you want to kiss, I don’t have a problem with that, but I’m going to make damn sure that’s as far as it goes until you’re old enough be make that decision for yourself. My order about the two of you not being in the same room alone at night stands.”
Jack could probably think of a couple creative loopholes around Tom’s rules if she needed to. Either that or just make sure they didn’t get caught breaking them. If Tom thought they needed the rules because Searle would do something bad and Jack knew he wouldn’t, obeying them didn’t seem so important. For now, though, she nodded and asked what she felt was the more important question.
“Are you going to tell Jed?”
Tom considered the question as he looked at Jack. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why he should tell Jed anything, he wasn’t the girl’s father. But for all intents and purposes, Jed had assumed that role and Tom felt obligated to tell him. “Is there some reason I shouldn’t tell him?”
It was amazing how talking about Jed was the least awkward thing to happen to her all night. “He’ll kill Searle if he finds out. That’s why it’s been a secret.”
So this hadn’t been the first time they’d done this, Tom surmised. “If he tries anything he’ll have to get through me first,” he promised, standing up. “I’d imagine he’ll be satisfied with the punishment I plan for Searle for missing guard duty. That should be enough.”
Jack wasn’t sure that was true but it seemed like this awful conversation was almost over so she wasn’t going to argue. “Okay.”
Tom yawned again and waved toward the door. “All right Jack, I’ll let you go. Get some sleep.”
That was enough for her. Jack barely managed to get out a soft “night,” before she fled.