[1.] In one moment, he was sitting at a bar in the Telavian system, a hyper vodka in hand, flirting heavily with a gorgeous Gotal mercenary- flirting his way out of a head hunt, coincidentally, he always did enjoy luring his would be executioners into bed- and the next? The next he was somewhere he would have never expected to be again, not least of all because he didn't remember a thing about the place until the moment he was there again. And then the memories hit with a vengeance.
Asgard. His first days here, torn away from a life now long gone, thrown into an unfamiliar city full of familiar faces. The Doctor- the Doctors- and Ianto Jones. Rose Tyler, the TARDIS herself. A glimpse of the future- his past now- from a bite of an apple. Being so very human again- and then the abilities, gifts from the gods. He remembered shared homed full of people, so many people to care about. He remembered floods, and a puppy, and pain, and death. He remembered the Master, and loved ones returned from the dead. He remembered- Gray. And grey, and fighting and war and then-
Nothing. Nothing except the life he'd returned to, and everything he had lost in that life, and now. He was here again. Asgard. In the midst of some massive celebration, and there were the natives of Asgard shouting with joy, a party of the kind only Asgard could throw, and if he was here, then maybe- maybe...
He pushed away the memories of pain and anguish and the hurt that had happened here, and he focused on what being here might mean, and he pushed through the crowd. Searching, focused, seeking. Pushing through people without regard, uncaring if he shoved someone out of his way, or brushed past someone forcibly. He looked for anything familiar, anyone familiar, and for the first time in longer than he could remember, Jack Harkness allowed himself to hope.
[2.] Eventually his furious search gave way to a calmer exploration, because there were familiar faces here. He'd found them, and knowing that, Jack found he could relax and smile. That was when the lanterns caught his attention, only after he finally halted his desperate search for the people he cared about. There were names on them, he could see- and there were names he recognized. Travellers, like himself. It was enough for him to begin searching for his own name, being careful not to touch any of the others. He wasn't sure what touching someone else's lantern might mean, but considering some of the things that tended to happen in Asgard?
Eventually he found his name, drifting lightly through the air. Cautiously he reached for it and- it glowed, bright enough he had to look away for a moment, and then there was the feel of an unfamiliar weight in his hands. When he looked back, a small stuffed pterodactyl there.
He couldn't help it. Jack grinned. Then he set off through the crowd, a kind of warmth and joy he hadn't felt in years- or decades or maybe longer- washing through him. And to anyone he encountered as he went? Well, if people thought Jack was a heavy flirt on a normal day...
"Your eyes are gorgeous, I could stare into them for centuries. And let me tell you, when I saw centuries, I mean it. I really could."
"Has anyone ever told you how hot you are? Hotter than the twin suns of Denevi, two of the hottest burning stars in the galaxy. I could burn up in your orbit, die happy, and come back for more."
"You would look absolutely stunning bathed in the jewels of Hanagra. You'd actually put the jewels to shame, and that's hard to do; Hanagrian jewels are considered the most beautiful jewels in the quadrant."
"You know what I need right now? A defabricator. Because I would love to defabricate you."
And well... he was more than happy to hug or kiss- or more- with anyone who wanted.
Jack Harkness | Doctor Who/Torchwood | OTA
In one moment, he was sitting at a bar in the Telavian system, a hyper vodka in hand, flirting heavily with a gorgeous Gotal mercenary- flirting his way out of a head hunt, coincidentally, he always did enjoy luring his would be executioners into bed- and the next? The next he was somewhere he would have never expected to be again, not least of all because he didn't remember a thing about the place until the moment he was there again. And then the memories hit with a vengeance.
Asgard. His first days here, torn away from a life now long gone, thrown into an unfamiliar city full of familiar faces. The Doctor- the Doctors- and Ianto Jones. Rose Tyler, the TARDIS herself. A glimpse of the future- his past now- from a bite of an apple. Being so very human again- and then the abilities, gifts from the gods. He remembered shared homed full of people, so many people to care about. He remembered floods, and a puppy, and pain, and death. He remembered the Master, and loved ones returned from the dead. He remembered- Gray. And grey, and fighting and war and then-
Nothing. Nothing except the life he'd returned to, and everything he had lost in that life, and now. He was here again. Asgard. In the midst of some massive celebration, and there were the natives of Asgard shouting with joy, a party of the kind only Asgard could throw, and if he was here, then maybe- maybe...
He pushed away the memories of pain and anguish and the hurt that had happened here, and he focused on what being here might mean, and he pushed through the crowd. Searching, focused, seeking. Pushing through people without regard, uncaring if he shoved someone out of his way, or brushed past someone forcibly. He looked for anything familiar, anyone familiar, and for the first time in longer than he could remember, Jack Harkness allowed himself to hope.
[2.]
Eventually his furious search gave way to a calmer exploration, because there were familiar faces here. He'd found them, and knowing that, Jack found he could relax and smile. That was when the lanterns caught his attention, only after he finally halted his desperate search for the people he cared about. There were names on them, he could see- and there were names he recognized. Travellers, like himself. It was enough for him to begin searching for his own name, being careful not to touch any of the others. He wasn't sure what touching someone else's lantern might mean, but considering some of the things that tended to happen in Asgard?
Eventually he found his name, drifting lightly through the air. Cautiously he reached for it and- it glowed, bright enough he had to look away for a moment, and then there was the feel of an unfamiliar weight in his hands. When he looked back, a small stuffed pterodactyl there.
He couldn't help it. Jack grinned. Then he set off through the crowd, a kind of warmth and joy he hadn't felt in years- or decades or maybe longer- washing through him. And to anyone he encountered as he went? Well, if people thought Jack was a heavy flirt on a normal day...
"Your eyes are gorgeous, I could stare into them for centuries. And let me tell you, when I saw centuries, I mean it. I really could."
"Has anyone ever told you how hot you are? Hotter than the twin suns of Denevi, two of the hottest burning stars in the galaxy. I could burn up in your orbit, die happy, and come back for more."
"You would look absolutely stunning bathed in the jewels of Hanagra. You'd actually put the jewels to shame, and that's hard to do; Hanagrian jewels are considered the most beautiful jewels in the quadrant."
"You know what I need right now? A defabricator. Because I would love to defabricate you."
And well... he was more than happy to hug or kiss- or more- with anyone who wanted.