for quitehomoerotic: Welcome to the Boeshane Peninsula

[rude_not_ginger]

Follows this.

When the Doctor woke, he was prepared to feel stiff and uncomfortable. Usually, when reaching that point of exhaustion, he usually found himself on the floor or on the console, in some sort of an awkward position that left him sore for the next day. This morning, however, he was out of his clothes and stretched out on his bed, under the covers with a heating blanket.

A breathing heating blanket.

He raised an eyebrow and looked to where Jack had an arm around him as he slept. The previous day came rushing back. Pearl Harbor, the goodbyes, the return of Gallifrey, being captured by the Shadow Proclamation, and finally nearly killing Jack. They came so very close. Too close.

Without really thinking about it, the Doctor found himself wrapping an arm around Jack's shoulder. Jack, who was ready and willing to die the previous day. And the Doctor was willing to give him that. He had been willing to give him that. Not anmymore.

Where could they go, now?

Onwards, of course. It was the only way they could go.

The TARDIS wasn't moving anymore, and the Doctor slowly extracted himself from Jack's embrace. He grabbed his trousers and shirt and threw them on quickly, heading towards the console, hopefully before Jack woke.

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[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but that never works," the Doctor said, pressing a kiss to Jack's forehead. This quiet intimacy was comfortable, wonderful. He'd spent so long not allowing himself vulnerability that being so open was new. He liked it, he thought.

He wished he could've had the same sense of loyalty Jack had to his home world to his own. Gallifrey was beautiful but terrible, and he felt no loss when he made the decision to destroy it. He should've, he figured, but he didn't. He felt nothing. Nothing but the empty hole where a home world should've been.

"We'll keep this place safe," he promised.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"No, it doesn't," Jack said with a slight sigh. "Still, no harm in trying right?" He let out a gentle laugh, because even he knew that was ridiculous.

He shifted slightly as he lay, moving his arm in such a way to offer the Doctor the space between it and him, a little more close, what might even be deemed a cuddle.

"I know we will," he agreed with utter confidence, flicking his eyes towards the Doctor. "It's what we do, right?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor didn't cuddle. Cuddling implied an intimacy he rarely felt with anyone, and that implied a vulnerability he didn't allow with anyone. But with Jack----well, he'd willingly tried other new things, no point in stopping halfway. He moved closer, worried for a moment about showing the nervousness he felt just under the surface of his movements.

"Save the world," he agreed. "It's our specialty."

That, and being overall amazing. They did that pretty well, too. And this. This strange sort of relationship with with thing they'd become, they weren't doing so terribly on that, either. Well, they were, but they'd apparently improved quite a bit on it in the last few hours.

He pressed a kiss to Jack's mouth gently. They could do this.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack let his arm drape around the Doctor's back and his fingers lightly touch against the shoulder at his opposite side. Gently, just back and forth. Really, letting go this much was really scary for him too, but he wanted it, and he wanted the Doctor to know he understood, and he'd never push him.

"It is," Jack said with a grin, "and well, we do it with style."

He touched his other hand gently to the Doctor's cheek and returned his kiss, wrapping his leg a little more around the Doctor's, tangling with him.

I don't want to go to sleep, he thought, brushing his fingertips through the Doctor's hair, just above his ear. I'm enjoying this too much.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, the Doctor thought back. I won't go anywhere.

He had a few days left before he'd have to sleep, especially after that deep sleep back in the TARDIS. But he wouldn't move, he decided. He was far too comfortable. Far too happy like this. And happy wasn't something he often had in this lifetime. It was worth it to stay.

He wouldn't leave, he promised himself. Wouldn't leave Jack alone, not after all of the times before. He'd build him another homing beacon, he'd----he'd do something to prove he wouldn't go. Not again.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

I know, Jack thought, smiling softly. And what was the best thing about that, what that he utterly believed it. He entirely believed the Doctor wouldn't leave. There was no fear there or uncertainty. It was as though he just knew. Maybe it was the connection with their minds, maybe something else, but he knew.

"First thing tomorrow," he said, speaking aloud and still toying gently with the Doctor's hair, "I'll get us some other clothes. The water'll have got to ours. Get a couple of breathing regulators and we can go back sort that thing out. Then we'll go enjoy the rest of that universe out there. You know I'd say find another adventure, but I think maybe I've got that right here."

A beat. And he laughed.

"Okay that was corny, I was corny, right? I was corny. Yeah I don't care." And rather impulsively, he kissed him again.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"A bit," the Doctor admitted, but he was still smiling. "But that's all right."

The kiss felt natural. Some part of his mind began to panic, telling him that the more they got used to this, the harder it would be later, when it all ended (and things never ended well for the Doctor).

He firmly told that part of his mind to shut up.

He liked Jack's hands in his hair. He'd had some rather wild and interesting hair in his time, but this regeneration was definitely blessed with the best yet. It was nice to see it appreciated.

"Get some sleep," he instructed Jack, laying back on the bed and pulling him close.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Stop it," Jack said firmly, both verbally and inside his mind.

"I can still hear you, you know," he added. "And I can play that game too. Don't stop yourself having something just because of something that might not even happen. Or if you do, lets just make this an exception, okay?"

And as if to make a point, he leaned and pressed a kiss to his collar bone.

But that said, and that done, he didn't argue with the Doctor's instruction, and he moved himself up closer, still lying on his side but against him, draped over him a little.

"Night, Doctor," he whispered gently, and he closed his eyes and allowed himself to sleep.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Night, Jack."

He focused on doing as Jack said, pressing out the fears and the worries and just enjoying the moment. It was difficult, at first. His mind was already set up with a variety of self-defense mechanisms to keep himself safe from getting in too deep. But he was happy, and if that didn't last forever, well, at least he had now, right? Wasn't that what jack was saying?

He felt Jack's mind rest next to him and did his best to clear his thoughts so they wouldn't muddle up his dreams.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

It didn't take too long for Jack to drift off to sleep. After all, it had been a long day, all told, with a lot of action and a lot of emotion.

Not long at all and he was away; his body absently curling up that little bit more around the Doctor's as he drifted into a deeper sleep.

Usually, Jack tried not to dream. It wasn't as though he could truly suppress them, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try. Here though, he was more relaxed. Yes it all might go wrong, yes something terrible could happen, but it didn't have to and be damned he was going to let himself enjoy the moment while he had it. It was a memory he wanted to keep.

And so he did dream, but the dream wasn't things he hoped for, or secret little things he wanted, it was something he had. The course of the evening, in all its sexual detail, replayed in his mind but punctuated with the way certain things made him feel, and things way past the sexual. Certain things the Doctor had said to him, and had said long before they'd connected their minds. Those words would stay with him. The Doctor wanted him for who he was. He wasn't sure anyone had ever wanted that.

And then that dream lead to another, and it was here, Boeshane. He dreamt of himself, climbing that tree, playing in the sand. And he dreamt of leaving there again, leaving now to go into the TARDIS and away.

And that was the place, that in his dreams, felt like home.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

Well, it was probably for the best that the Doctor couldn't sleep. His connection to Jack didn't give him exact dreams, but he got the general feel of them. The emotions that were running through Jack's mind were fascinating. Need, longing, acceptance, and finally nostalgia. Jack was probably older than the Doctor, but he looked impossibly young while he slept.

"It must be nice," the Doctor whispered, moving a lock of Jack's hair aside. "Dreaming just by closing your eyes. You don't know how lucky you are." And while he wanted to get up, to make some tea, to putter about, to look around, he made himself stay still and wait until the morning.

Jack felt happy, like he was home. He wasn't about to ruin that.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

As with many things, good came with bad. Jack's dreams, unfortunately, followed the same pattern, and sadly, though the Doctor might have been privy to a happier selection, with Jack's mind opened up to dream at all, it was almost inevitable that the bad would come in with the good.

Nightmares. Now they were something ever present in Jack's mind. His mistakes playing over in his head, people dying before his eyes, sometimes it would be indescript, sometimes replaying a scene from his past. It was the former this time, like a trailer for the dangers of his life. Seeing people die, watching as they did. Waking and having everyone around him dead while he has to go on.

As his mind swam with his own faults he absently held a little tighter to the Doctor.

And then his coping mechanism set in, flooding his own mind with any and all happy memories it could. Things to help him last through the night. And his dreams drifted until they faded and he could sleep through.

He never slept very long really, a few hours, if that, and so it was the same now, about four hours after closing his eyes, he opened them again, slowly letting the light creek in. He'd got used to the Doctor being not there in the morning even if he had been in the evening, and part of him expected that now, but no, there he was, that soft cool skin against his own.

It made him smile.

"Morning," he said, and he spoke with a voice that was laced with a sleep, that for him? Had been his best in a long time.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"And you," the Doctor said, giving him a smile. He didn't know what Jack had dreamt of, but his body felt tired from the tension and the pressure of bad dreams later on in the night. Still, nothing he wouldn't recover from with some breakfast and a bit of running. A good run always rejuvenated the muscles, he'd found.

The connection from the previous evening was looser, now, but he had a feeling Jack might still be able to feel the Doctor's worry or tiredness, and he did his best to keep them quiet, locked up. After all, they had quite a bit to live for, now. No need to muck it up with negative emotions.

"Ready to save the world?" he asked.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack shifted a little, pushing up against the mattress to sit up a little. His eyes were squinted and he let out a heavy yawn.

"Mmmn," he said, non committally, gazing at nothing in particular.

His head turned though, and he looked back to the Doctor. Though there was nothing like the connection there'd been before, he was aware of the Doctor, and of a vague feeling. He didn't draw attention to it by mentioning it, but he wanted to do something, and so he leaned in and pressed a gentle, loving, kiss to the Doctor's lips, lingering a moment before pulling back and smiling at him.

"Okay, now I'm ready."

He moved then, shifting back a little to slide himself to the edge of the bed. "I can get them to bring food," he said with a yawn. "I should go and get those regulators."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor smiled against the kiss. Yep, they'd gone domestic.

It was about time they went off and acted like heroes again, just to mix things up.

"Mmm, might not be a bad idea," the Doctor said, awkwardly looking for his trousers. It was awkward more because being awkward was something he was used to, and the lack of awkwardness heightened his need for awkwardness and thus created a very interesting loop. He tried mapping it out exactly in his mind, but only ended up a little dizzy.

"Food, regulators, and an ultrasonic wave system. The sort that transfers sound into sonar."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Right, well," Jack said, standing tall (and rather early-morning proud) and being decidedly un-awkward. "I'll do that, you--" he said, and pointed towards his discarded wistrap that had at some point fallen to the floor, "--fix that. It's still broken."

He located his trousers on the floor and pulled into them, along with his undershirt. Walking past the Doctor, he decided the very best thing to do in that moment was smack him decidedly and cheekily on the backside.

"Such a good ass," he said because he'd decided not to be tempering himself now.

He didn't bother to put his shoes on, and already he was heading for the door. "You want anything else from out?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Jack's smack. It stung a little, but he could tell it was an affectionate gesture. It was strange, accepting a gesture like that, when it would've normally made him awkward and uncomfortable.

He tugged on his trousers and began buttoning up his shirt. Everything smelled a little strange from the water before, but it would do until they found something new.

"So I stay here and fix this, you head out, get the equipment we need?" he reiterated, just for his own clarification.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Jack confirmed. "I'll be 5 minutes, 10 top. And with food. If you get bored, oh I don't know, take the transmitter apart or something."

He shot him a smile before disappearing out the door, and even as it closed behind him, he was doubting that the Doctor would be there when he got back. For some reason though, he really couldn't mind.

Much as he'd like to bask in the afterglow of the evening before though, Jack knew he had work to do, and so he got to it, doing his best not to get distracted by the Boeshane marketplace. People he knew, faces and voices and placed and smells. It was fantastic.

It took a little longer than he might have planned (he couldn't help the odd meandering here and there), but he soon had a bag with two small regulators (small, no tubing, they converted the water to breathable air), a bag of clothing for the Doctor, and a box with breakfast for them both. He was also redressed in a variety of sandy coloured layers. He felt somewhat like he was playing dress up as his younger self.

He headed back to the room and pushed the door open.

"Doctor you here or am I going to have to spend two hours walking around looking for you?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor did manage to stay in the room for a good chunk of time, in his opinion. Though, at four minutes, sixteen seconds, he'd repaired the faulty chip in the manipulator and had decided that waiting was really, really overrated. Jack would understand, wouldn't he?

Jack,
Taking a look from the rock face where we jumped.
-D

In the bright morning light, the lightning beneath the water still managed to glimmer and shine. It seemed duller, though. Like something was holding it back. The Doctor stepped to the edge of the cliff, watching as sand and rock fell into the rocky water below.

Whatever made him think jumping off the edge was a good idea, he'd never know.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

The room was, of course, empty. Jack had expected nothing less. He was glad though that a note had been left for him, and at least he had a destination to head to.

He gave the room one last look and gathered up his coat from where he'd left it, shoving it, and his other non-essential items into the waterproof sack he'd acquired with everything else. And on that, he headed out.

He was there of course, on that cliff face.

"Hey, handsome!" he called out, jokingly as he approached, "Looking for a good time?" he smiled and swung up the box in his hand. "I got breakfast."

He squinted slightly in the morning sun and looked down at his attire and back up with a pleased sort of grin. "How'd I look?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Like a native," the Doctor said with a grin. He plucked his glasses off his face a little awkwardly. He didn't have any reason to be awkward about his glasses around Jack, but still, there it was. His nose was large enough without his glasses making it more obvious.

He gestured for Jack to join him, and pointed out to the sea.

"It's moved," he said. "Do you see? With the light up, it's shifted its position, gone down. Possibly to pull sulfides out of the soil, maybe? Coming back up to respire at night?"

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack gave another beaming smile at the Doctor's summation. He liked that, a native. He liked that it sounded just a little ridiculous too, even though it was the only place such a statement (in many ways) could ever be true.

He took a step over, watching the Doctor for a moment or two longer than entirely necessary, and he turned his head out towards the sea, squinting slightly in the sun.

"Yeah," he said slowly, looking out and trying to gauge the distance. "Well. Guess there's only one way we'll find out, right?"

He glanced back to him, and offered out the box. "But first, eat. Won't do any good diving down there on an empty stomach. I got some rolls. You'll like them."

And at that, Jack sat himself down on the cliffs edge, his legs hanging over the precarious edge.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but then we can't go swimming for another hour," the Doctor whined before joining him. He wasn't about to turn down breakfast, especially not with how much his stomach was growling, but he did want to make a point of complaining about going down as soon as possible. He was pretty sure they shouldn't have waited all of last night, too, but he wouldn't have given that night up.

He sniffed and sat near Jack, not quite so close to the edge. The box had some strange sort of fruit and some roll with a fish-like meat inside. He took a bite. It was strange, but definitely filling.

"How's the city this morning?" he asked.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Yeah and it's not going anywhere," Jack said, somewhat amused. "And we're here, look, we can keep an eye on it."

Jack swivelled himself slightly, angling his body back a little towards the Doctor.

"Beautiful," he said with a beaming smile. "Traders just setting up, people running around. Had quite a nice chat with my uncle Saf. Didn't tell him who I was, of course. Oh and I got these," he said and reached over for the other bag. "Regulators, sonar thingies. Oh and something with flashing lights I thought you might enjoy taking apart. You got my manipulator?"

He reached for his own roll then, taking a large bite and letting out an overly satisfied noise.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Yep." The Doctor pulled the manipulator out of his pocket and tossed it towards Jack. "Should be able to get us out of a rough situation if things get out of control."

He picked up one of the sonar manipulators and grinned madly. "Perfect."

He began taking apart the top, ready to do a little tweaking. After all, perfect was only really perfect once the Doctor had perfected it.

"Well, once we've got all of this sorted out, we can probably look around a bit before the storm." He nodded to the sky where darkening clouds neared. "Seems we're always caught in a storm, you and I."