fic, Lost: See You In Another Life (or five times Jack and Desmond kissed), R

[janie_tangerine]

*bows in front of Queen elise_509

Her Majesty asked for either the women of Lost or Jack; I tried with writing something for Juliet but it didn't want to come together so I went for some icons of your favorite ladies and a ficlet using plan B.

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Title: See You In Another Life (or five times Jack and Desmond kissed)
Rating: light R
Pairing: Jack/Desmond
Words: 1000
Summary: What the title says.
Spoilers: up to the S4 finale.
Disclaimer: Sooo not mine. Even if one of the five actually happened.
A/N: so, I remembered that once sometime after the finale Her Highness said I should write Jack/Desmond and since my Jack/Sawyer muse is sort of reluctant after I tortured her these days I went with it. I had wanted to give it a try for a while anyway, so I hope you like it! *lays at Queen's feet*

1. The Stadium

The first time is in the showers of the stadium’s changing room.

Another life was maybe stretching it a bit too far, but hey, Jack hadn’t figured that they would have ended showering at more or less the same time. He throws a joke, Desmond laughs, Jack closes his eyes for a couple of seconds. He feels the warm water slowly rushing over his back and lets out a small, satisfied moan; when he opens his eyes, Desmond is more or less doing the same in front of him, broad shoulders covered in soap, quite long hair plastered along his neck, water trickling down tanned skin.

Desmond turns and for a couple of seconds they just stare at each other, the water rushing being the only audible sound; Jack doesn’t really know who started or how their second meeting in the shower starts with a kiss which is frantic, needy and almost painful, and ends with Desmond’s one hand on the small of his back bringing their bodies closer and his other one getting him off fast and hard.

Then Desmond leaves, with an enigmatic smile on his lips; Jack closes the water soon after and rushes to the hospital.

2. Outside the hatch

The second time is against a tree when Desmond is convinced that the world is going to end in two minutes and Jack is so tired and fed up and a lot of other things that he just can’t think straight.

As soon as Jack reaches Desmond and takes him by the shoulders, he realizes that whatever happens Desmond won’t even start to fight him; Jack doesn’t really connect that peculiar but after all nice guy he met in the stadium three years ago with the one in front of him, much thinner, much paler, his confident eyes changed into half-crazed ones.

When Desmond’s hands clutch desperately around his shoulders, Jack figures that forty days alone pushing a button can’t pass without effects. Jack doesn’t know why he kisses Desmond then, maybe because he’s shaking too much and he doesn’t have a better plan; then Desmond sighs and gives in, his tongue touching every inch of Jack’s mouth, before muttering something like sorry brother, but world is ending and leaves running.

Jack drops on his knees, bringing a hand to his head. Of course the world doesn’t end, but he figures they will really see each other in another life.

3. The time Desmond won't ever know about

The third time is at camp after they drag him out of that boat.

Jack had just finished speaking with Sayid and had stumbled into Desmond, passed out drunk, the bottle still in his hand, while going back to his tent. Jack feels a burst of pity at that, unable to repress it. He doesn’t think he has ever seen someone being so miserable while drunk, apart from his father, but it really isn’t time to think about him of everyone.

He kneels down, taking the empty bottle away and throwing it in the jungle, noticing the change again; before he ran, at least Desmond’s hair was neatly cut, his beard nicely done; now they’re both longer and unkempt, a reflection of their owner’s state, probably.

Something compels him to brush Desmond's lips with his own for a couple of seconds, after making sure that no one was around; then he leaves, not knowing why he did it, especially since Desmond isn’t ever going to know. He shrugs, heading back to his tent; that was really ridiculous, stupid and without a sense. Just an impulse, and why would he have it towards Desmond of everyone is a mystery to him, indeed.

4. The raft

The fourth time it isn’t really a kiss; it’s more or less a question of life and death.

Desmond’s chest is still under his hands, while he puts his ear against it. There’s no other way.

He tries not to think about another couple of CPRs, one because he can only think of pens and tracheotomies and it hurts, the other because he might not have shown it but there’s a presence he misses.

He just presses his mouth against Desmond’s, exhaling air in.

He tries not to think about those two times when Desmond’s lips had been quite receptive under his; he raises his head, inhales, drops his head down again, exhales again.

Then he puts his hands over Desmond’s chest and pushes, one, two, three, four times; he loses count at thirteen or so, trying to keep his eyes open even if the ocean water is seriously making them burn.

There’s panic rising inside him, ending just when Desmond coughs and he can feel his chest rising up under his hands.

And for how much his head connects the sound of the chopper crashing against the water with the sound he heard when Sawyer jumped, he feels relieved.

5. Going back

The fifth time, he’s leaning against the railing of a boat going back.

His left hand twitches, the only results of his shaving are that he feels strangely naked and that his face shows two cuts. He can hear Aaron’s and Ji Yeon’s voices; he pretends he isn’t. Kate and Sun wouldn’t let him near anyway.

Suddenly Desmond is at his side and Jack should ask why he isn’t with Penny inside their cabin, but he doesn’t. Then Desmond startles him.

“I think I owe you, brother.”

“What?”, he asks questioningly.

“Well, you were the one that...”

“Stop it.”

Jack doesn’t want to hear it. He doesn’t want to be thanked for convincing Ben to leave Penny alone and rather join forces and everything. He just doesn’t.

“Fine. But thanks anyway.”

Desmond’s lips touch his left cheek barely, a feather touch and nothing more, his hand caressing the other one just slightly; then he smiles a bit, not to apologize or so it seems to Jack, and goes back to the cabin.

Jack’s hand goes to his cheek; a small shiver runs through his back and he wraps his jacket tighter around his shoulders, his eyes impatiently scanning the horizon.

End.

Comments

[failegaidin.livejournal.com]

Love #4 and #7 of the icons!

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, glad you liked them!

[elliotsmelliot.livejournal.com]

Dammit, I'm supposed to working, but dammit, this was a nice break.

I go back and forth on who I would rather slash Desmond with. He's so hard to slash in the first place, that by the time you get to that points, the partner almost seems irrelevant. You've made Jack very relevant here, that this almost feels like canon. The transition of their kisses is amazing from the hottest to the barely not a kiss at all to the sweetest. It's all about remarkably being in the right place at the right time.

Sorry, Sayid, Sawyer and Charlie — I now how a preference. I'm saving this to my memories.

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

Ooops. Glad if I gave you a good break from that!

Well I'm mostly glad if I sold you on the pairing ;) I'll have to admit that I had been sort of slashing them since Orientation or something and I really wanted to try it. And well, I might have a tendency to slash Desmond with half the males he comes in contact with, but I guess his first boyfriend has seniority privileges. It's great to hear it felt like canon and that boyfriend #1 was relevant here, I'm really so glad you liked it! ♥

[elliotsmelliot.livejournal.com]

his first boyfriend has seniority

That sounds fair. The rest can have Des on alternating weekends and whenever Jack needs a night with Sawyer. Of course, they're all screwed once Penny get back in the picture. Then they'll be scrambling for 15 minutes in the closet whenever Penny looks the other way.

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

LOL they should stay in a line and take a number! ;) God, now such a scene would be delightful to watch, indeed. Also because if Jack has seniority numbers don't work for him and Sayid would be wondering whether to use bamboo again *cough*.

[elliotsmelliot.livejournal.com]

Hee! Now I have a delightful image of them being unable to decide who's next and they all pull Desmond into the closet for a mutual groping. Meanwhile the blue shirt sees all from the hanger.

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

*cracks up and flails* God, I think I need to write from that shirt's POV again -nod-. Luckiest object in history, first being wore by Desmond all that time and then witnessing mutual groping and boyfriends bickering!

[elliotsmelliot.livejournal.com]

Oh, you should! You should! Hmmm...I should add a "clothing" theme to my Queenly request.

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

Which would be barefoot Desmond I might try to foresee? ;) ooh, clothing. *licks lips*

[that'd be also an interested question because I'll be having a friend over from the 23rd, but since I'm free until then and there are people I definitely want to post for in time I'll probably use the three days of doing nothing I have in front of me to get ahead with writing -nods- ;)]

[elliotsmelliot.livejournal.com]

Ooh, barefoot Desmond would be most enjoyed! I was thinking of asking for Desmond: the missing years - life prior to the island and then life on the island prior to the crash. Now I can add a clothing addendum for anyone who doesn't feel comfortable writing Desmond.

But don't worry if you can't get to it. Your visit should come first!

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

Oh, now that'd be a prompt I'd LOVE to tackle, especially because I've been delaying some hatch fic for months. Well, since the 21st is catch-up day and I'm free until 23rd afternoon.. ;) and my visit knows about my habits (and also knows that on the 27th I'll need a couple of hours), but since I probably won't be able to actually write much of anything I'll see to get myself ahead. Also, my visit kind of needs English lessons so I might just try to teach her grammar with my comments. Which will be crazy, but might come handy.

[elliotsmelliot.livejournal.com]

I'd LOVE to see you tackle hatch Desmond!

Your lucky visitor - English lesson via squee. Any idea what you'll ask for? Boone has certainly done well to date. What about some Desmond/Sayid?

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

Oh, I will. I so very much will.

Next thing I know is that she'll be hooked on Lost ;) I'm kind of undecided truth to be told. I'll admit I was planning on Boone but as I enjoyed the hell out of Boone Day and I'm not so greedy I wouldn't ask for it again. I'd love to go for Des/Sayid but it could be too restricted of a choice, so I think I'll go for a rather general prompt specifying that any Boone (especially coupled with Jack)/Des/Sayid thrown in would make my day. I was actually thinking of hearts and minds as a prompt (not the episode, just the concept) or with movies to interpret as seems more fitting with a slight tendency for the latter, but I can't exclude to get a better idea before the day is due.

[elliotsmelliot.livejournal.com]

All of those sound like great ideas! I especially like the heart and minds one. Whatever happens, I would try my best to fit anything into your preferred pairings. And don't think about this as being greedy. It's your day afterall and Boone deserves the attention.

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

I'm perfectly okay also with gen, as long as there's who-I'm-thinking-of in! He deserves it indeed and I was seriously tempted of going with Boone anyway, but since he's not the most written character ever and there were quite some people already going out of their boundaries I'd rather go for general and then specify. From how general prompts with specifying have gone until now I have an idea that I'd probably get my good share anyway ;) and I could add the barefoot thing too, if no one feels inspired for the other one -nods-.

[elise-509.livejournal.com]

Oo, the icons are so pretty! I especially love the Shannon ones. :)

And the story, oh the story! Jack/Desmond is so hard to write, you're amazing for doing it. I'm always in awe of anyone who takes that on. I love them, the end of S4 was so slashy between them and this whole backstory fits in really well with that inexplicably charged moment on Penny's boat in the finale. I really loved the last section where Desmond just kisses on him on the cheek. So simple but wonderful!

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

I'm most definitely glad it pleases you! I tried with Juliet for two hours but she wasn't cooperative and I was missing Desmond. Good maths for everyone, right? ;)

Seriously, that S4 finale had so much potential that it couldn't go to waste. And I totally thought that there was some UST in that Orientation scene but that's me and subtext. The last section was the one that I probably liked best, too, so I'm even more glad you liked that one, thank you! *bows* ♥

[lenina20.livejournal.com]

You've definitely turned me into a slash reader. And I have to tell you, I'm loving every minute of it. I love how you wove this around canon Jack/Desmond moments. This should be canon for a thousand different reasons, but how much sense it makes and how wonderfully you've written it it's the one running front! Great fic!

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

That's the reward for getting me to sort of appreciate Sawyer/Kate. Hey, that's hard! And I'm loving that you love the dark side ;) ♥

Woah, I'm flattered. Totally flattered. Hearing that this feels like canon makes me so incredibly happy and I'm really glad you liked it. So much really ♥.

[dustyirish2003.livejournal.com]

I think I'm in serious danger of melting into a huge ball of goo today. First toestastegood's luscious Boone/Daniel and now my beautiful Desmond. Engaging in kissing. *sighs and flails* This is definitely a good fic day. ; )

This was just all kinds of fantastic, hon, and hot? I think that goes without saying! You somehow managed to make every one of these kisses seem plausible, as if they might have really happened in canon and I just somehow blinked and missed them (although what a horrid shame it would be for me to miss something like that!!).

this line : Jack doesn’t really know who started or how their second meeting in the shower starts with a kiss which is frantic, needy and almost painful, and ends with Desmond’s one hand on the small of his back bringing their bodies closer and his other one getting him off fast and hard. just about did me in completely - what a visual!! *fans self*

And that last section just tore at my heart. Sad and hopeful and just beautiful. Once again, you've managed to make me feel the scene and hear the characters thoughts as though they were my own. Thank you ever so much for sharing this. : )

And, btw, your icons are positively gorgeous!

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

OMG that Boone/Daniel. Don't get me started on that, I could flail for two hours and then I couldn't answer here ;) and engaging Des in kissing is so my favorite thing after Boone. I was so missing writing Desmond, too, so it was all good ;)

I think that the one in Orientation should have been canon. With all the wife talking and all. I mean, I was slashing them so much it wasn't even funny! Seriously, I always think that when I cut it straight with the R rating it doesn't work so hearing it was hot makes me giddy, oh yes. And I'm really glad the last one worked, it was the one I liked best probably.

Thanks also regarding the icons! I'm really glad you liked the whole package ;) ♥

[toestastegood.livejournal.com]

Y'know, Jack/Desmond is one of the few Desmond pairings I've never managed to sell myself on - I blame Jack entirely: I find him really hard to slash - but you totally managed to make me buy this. It all seemed so incredibly IC.

one because he can only think of pens and tracheotomies and it hurts, the other because he might not have shown it but there’s a presence he misses.
That line? Nearly frickin' killed me. So true, and it's just... You don't even have to mention their names. I like hearing that the thoughts of the dead still haunt Jack, because - as you say here - we didn't get to see much of a reaction from Jack for any of the deaths (other than Boone's - and even then he seemed more angry at Locke for lying than for anything else.)

I think my favourite one is definitely 'the time Desmond won't ever know about' but the one in the stadium is definitely smoking hot as well.

And, of course, the icons are absolutely beautiful. 8 and 11 especially are both so striking.

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm almighty glad if I sold you on this one! I'll admit that I have a tendency to slash Desmond with everyone and Jack with people I like -cough Boone cough-, but I always thought it was a pairing worth thinking about, so I'm sort of rubbing my hands now indeed.

That line... totally couldn't avoid it. Since Jack and CPRs are probably my real OTP and well, y'know, like, two of my favorite scenes on that show ever, I had to sneak it in. I think that Jack released all of his death haunting for his FF apart from Boone (and thanks for that, since I have to rely on that to sort of ship a dead ship. Yay me really).

And I'm really glad you bought the #3, it was actually the one I feared was less plausible so yay ;) and the stadium.. now I'd have wanted to see it. Oh yes. Thank you so much, I'm really glad you liked this (and the icons)! ♥

[neated.livejournal.com]

The icons are great. #6 ♥

And the fic is lovely. My favourite two Lost man together. I really like the kiss outside the hatch.

before muttering something like 'sorry brother, but world is ending'
That sound so like Desmond.

Great work.

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

#6 is totally my favorite ;)

And thank you, I'm really glad you like that one! I love them both and it was just good to squish them together. The kiss outside the hatch was from the scene where I totally slashed them most so great to hear it worked, thanks again!

[astra2104.livejournal.com]

Oh! Oh I love these five drabbles, especially number 2 and 4; Jack doesn’t know why he kisses Desmond then, maybe because he’s shaking too much and he doesn’t have a better plan; then Desmond sighs and gives in, his tongue touching every inch of Jack’s mouth

Guh, this is such an excellent description and the best excuse ever for a kiss ♥

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, I'm really glad you liked those! And yeah, when you don't have a plan, just grab the hottest guy next to you and kiss the hell out of him. Now that'd be brilliant, wouldn't it? ♥

[siluria]

The icons are beautiful, and I always thought there should have been more Jack/Desmond fic. These are all really well justified and very believable.

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

Thanks for both! Yeah, Jack/Des is sort of very underrated. I think it makes most sense but well, I'll be glad to rectify the lack ;) thanks, I'm really glad you liked these!

[alemyrddin.livejournal.com]

Oh, I loved the fic, it's so sweet, especially the third and the last one.
I loved how each kiss was meaningful. Jack and Desmond had a special relationship since before the island.
Well done.

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I was trying to give the whole thing a point and to sort of make justice to their connection, I'm really glad you liked it! ♥

[zelda-zee.livejournal.com]

I like this, all these different kisses, each so distinct from the others. I liked the last one the best, but only because it made all the rest of them resonate so well. Very nicely done!

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! Writing this was kinda fun, also because it was a satisfaction to write those two having slashed them since forever. The last is probably kind of my favorite too ;) thank you!