Time

Late (Pride) - Day 2


Jack answers the motel room door, and Tony can't tell if he's been drinking or not, but it doesn't matter this time. He locks the door behind him, but doesn't move closer. He wants Jack, more than ever before, even after everything that's happened in the past couple of weeks, even after Jack sprained his ankle (Jack had been right, in the end, he could never shoot Jack). Maybe it was the bomb at CTU, maybe it was the plane, maybe it was hearing the President of the United States give Nina permission to kill him in cold blood with no repercussions, but he knows how close he came, so many times that day, to loosing Jack, probably more than he's even aware of. But this has always been a bad idea, a very bad thing for him, and he needs to stop it.

"Jack...." It feels strange, unnatural to speak, to step away from the pattern, to break what feels like an unwritten rule, but still he presses forward. "I can't do this anymore."

Jack doesn't answer, but leans back against the wall, arms folded across his chest. Looks at him with his head tilted and one eyebrow raised ever so slightly. He's beautiful, Tony thinks, like he's always thought, and it amazes him as it always does that a man who has been through so much can retain such a look of almost childlike innocence and inherent goodness. Perhaps it was his clear blue eyes, or the way his lips curved down from the generous cupids bow. It makes it so much harder for Tony to say what he needs to.

"Jack, I'm... seeing someone."

"I know." Simple words, said calmly, but Tony can see that mouth tighten and shift, ever so slightly, so much that no one would notice unless they were adept at reading Jack.

He watches him calmly. "If you knew, then why did you message me?"

Jack's voice is lower when he speaks again, and betrays no more emotion, but Tony can see his eyebrows knit together, ever so slightly. "When have women ever meant anything, Tony?"

He glances away, trying to school his expression, to keep as calm as he can. "This one's special to me. She's different. This one means something." It's not a lie, not entirely. No one can rival Jack, rival how Jack makes him feel despite how much he tries not to. But he's too proud to say it, say how much it hurts to leave him after he sees him like this, how much he needs him. So instead he's started seeing Michelle, who is sweet, and lets him take her out to dinner, lets him walk hand in hand with her down the boardwalk, lets him kiss her in the middle of a crowd. Michelle is safe. Michelle doesn't leave him in the morning.

"Really."

He holds firm. "Yes."

"Well." Jack gives a little nod, entirely amicable, straightening a little, watching the door. "Perhaps I shouldn't have messaged you then."

"Perhaps you shouldn't have," he echoes, not meeting his eyes.

"I guess that settles it, then." Jack reaches for the doorknob, then stops. "Just one question for you, Almeida...."

Tony looks at him despite himself, into the piercing gaze of those blue eyes, and he knows that Jack has had no intention of leaving, that Jack has been working him, and he swallows. "Yeah?"

"Tell me why you answered my message and came here?"

He closes his eyes against a rush of desire, feels his mouth tighten. He had answered, and he had come, even come prepared, though he'd convinced himself that he would not allow this to continue. He feels Jack's hands rest lightly on his hips, then one dances down, fingers circling the tube in his pocket.

"I'm not sure you're being entirely truthful with me, Tony," He hears Jack's voice, feels his breath tickle warm against his ear, the huskiness of his words sending a shudder of desire down his spine to his cock.

"Leave me be, Jack," he tries one more time, his voice much weaker than intended, but somehow his body is already reacting without his permission, pulling Jack's hips against his, leaning in to catch his mouth hungrily. Dancing the steps so familiar that he doesn't even have to think by this time, just feel. Jack's hands on his body, his hands tearing at Jack's clothes as Jack's were at his, and Jack's mouth (god that beautiful mouth), demanding, hot and yearning as he claims Tony's lips, and there's no whisky this time, no cigarettes, just the taste of Jack.

He bucks up into Jack's fingers as they curl around his cock, gasping, pushing the blond man's pants and boxers off. "Jack... go down on me."

The corners of that mouth turn upwards in almost a smirk, and for the amount of times he's imagined those lips wrapped around his cock, he can't keep from asking again. Demanding. "Suck me off."

Jack looks almost amused, then goes to his knees and takes the head of his aching cock in his mouth, fingers wrapped around the base to hold him in place.

Tony realizes right away that this has been a very bad idea, as soon as he feels the shock that bursts up his spine as those lips close around his erection, feels them sliding down his shaft. He's never asked for this before, they've never talked about what they have and haven't done in the past beyond the first night Jack drug him into this with a bottle of whiskey and a murmured, "I know you've been with men before, Tony." But he can't imagine that Jack hasn't done this before, because he's so damn good at it (Can Jack Bauer be bad at anything?), stroking and sucking and working his tongue against all the right places. He buries his hands in that honey blond hair, hips rocking up into Jack's mouth. The splay of thick blond eyelashes on Jack's cheek from Jack's closed eyes flutter, and it almost makes him come right there and then, watching Jack with his cock in his mouth.

It's been a very bad idea, and he starts telling Jack to stop - asking, demanding, finally begging, and isn't this supposed to be the other way around? But Jack is in control for now, and keeps coaxing him, pleasuring him, letting the sensation build, taking Tony deep into his throat. And just when he feels like he can't possibly hold off any longer, Jack finally lets up, pulling back and squeezing the base of his cock gently to help him keep control, tugging his balls back down gently.

He's not sure whether he wants to laugh or cry or scream but does none of those, taking a few deep breaths and slowly getting control of himself again. "Damn you."

"Be careful what you ask for, Tony." Amused, almost smug, completely in control of everything, and he's so damn beautiful that Tony can hardly stand it.

"Get on the bed on your back." He says, and Jack, surprisingly, complies, lets Tony have the time to go down on him, which Tony really needs right now or else he'll explode like a nervous teenager the second he takes him. He kisses over his chest hungrily, careful of the still healing scars that he doesn't ask about, kisses his stomach, covers his erection in slow laps of his tongue. This is satisfying on another level, finally being able to taste him, to trace the ridges and veins in his cock with his tongue, to lap up the salty thick precum, pressing his tongue against its point of issue, which turns out to be just as effective at making Jack squirm and gasp as fingering him is. For a short time, Tony lets himself indulge just in this, in letting Jack's erection fill his mouth, in taking him deep into his throat, in the heady satisfaction of feeling Jack shudder, Jack's hands buried in his hair.

He pulls back finally, but just to find the lube, and pushes Jack's legs up on either side of his shoulders so that he can prep him, slick fingers stroking his ass as he sucks at the head of his cock, pressing two fingers inside him, fucking him slowly with them.

Jack is reduced to begging already, rocking up into his mouth, back against his hand, voice breathless, helpless. "God, Tony, damn you - give it to me! Fuck, please - !"

"I'll fuck you when and how I choose," He murmurs huskily, and crooks his fingers to brush ever so slightly against Jack's prostate, making the blond shudder and buck underneath him, making him cry out helplessly. But now isn't such a bad time to choose, so he pulls back, pulling Jack's legs over his shoulders, because if they've deviated this much already he's going to take this one step further, so he can see Jack's face when he takes him.

He's beautiful, Tony thinks again, especially now, now when Jack is entirely his, blue eyes closed and head thrown back in pleasure, full lips parted to draw shivering breath, to cry out as he rocks into him. Jack tries to buck up against him, meet his thrusts as he rocks hard into that firm ass, but he doesn't have as much control in this position. Still, he doesn't fight it, not even when Tony leans down to kiss him, bending him almost double to claim those full lips with his own. He reaches up instead, holding him in place and tearing trembling kisses from his mouth as they rock together, fingers digging into his sweat-streaked back.

Even though this isn't as hard, as deep as he'd normally fuck Jack, it's somehow more intense, swallowing Jack's cries with his kisses, rocking with him slowly, letting the sensation build. Jack seems to revel in it, fingers slipping up into his hair to tangle almost painfully tight, holding him to his mouth until they are both too breathless, too far gone for kisses. Tony lets his forehead rest against Jack's, sharing his breath as he feels his love tighten and shudder around him, feels his pleasure land hot and slick on his stomach as he climaxes. He lets it pull him over the edge too, finally, finally knowing completion, pleasure shuddering through his veins, emotion so thick that he can hardly breathe.

He lets Jack's legs ease down around his waist, gasping for breath, his whole body trembling as everything that's happened since he's arrived hits him, and he closes his eyes, letting his head rest against Jack's shoulder, trying to find the strength to pull himself together. He knows he doesn't have long, knows that Jack will pull away any moment, but he indulges as long as he can, breathing in the scent of his skin, his cologne. Then he forces himself to push himself up, pulling away from him with a soft sigh.

Unexpectedly, Tony feels Jack's hands catch his shoulders, tugging him back down beside him, into his arms, nestling his face into Tony's hair silently. Even though he's not quite sure what's happening and where this is going, Tony can't bring himself to resist, and wraps his arms tightly around him, pressing his lips to his neck just below his ear, stroking a hand slowly up and down his back. Jack moves back slowly, just a little, not pulling away but just drawing back enough to look at him, enough for blue eyes to search his own. Jack's lips part, just a little, looking very much as if he wants to speak but can't find the words.

"Shhh," Tony breathes softly, even though Jack hasn't said anything yet, and leans in to kiss him, warm and sweet and gentle, like he'd kiss Michelle. But this isn't Michelle, this is Jack, and his heart is singing in a way that it never does with anyone else. One of Jack's hands cups his face, gentle, warm, drinking in his kisses, mouth trembling ever so slightly under his own. These kisses have nothing to do with lust, for either of them, and Tony knows he has to say something, something about the trembling, nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He swallows his pride, letting his forehead rest against Jack's, like they'd been during sex, feeling Jack's breath, warm and moist, tease his skin. "I need you, Jack," he murmurs, because that's all he can managed to make himself say, and at the same time it says everything.

Jack is silent for a long moment, eyes closed, fingers stroking through Tony's hair. "I don't have a great track record with my relationships," He says slowly, softly. "So this isn't one. I want you to stay with Michelle, I want you to have someone in your life for when I'm not around."

He doesn't ask if Jack means assignments or something more final than that, because it's probably both. After the everything that had almost happened the day CTU was bombed, they're all a little more aware of their own mortality. He nods slowly, accepting. "But... this will keep happening?"

Jack is silent for a long moment, and Tony wonders if even now, this admission is too much for him. "As long as you keep showing up," he says finally, softly.

He smiles, warm, honest. "I will." He wants to say more, but his cell phone rings, and he remembers suddenly that he'd never meant to stay, and certainly not for this long. "Goddammit... I'm sorry - "

"Answer it," Jack says softly, and he does, pulling away and finding the phone in his coat pocket.

"Almeida here." It's Michelle, like he already knows it is. He's supposed to be meeting her now. "Sorry, I got caught up with something. I'm just heading out in about five minutes, I should be there soon. Yeah, I won't be long. I love you too." He clicks off the phone and turns to look at Jack hesitantly.

"There's a flower shop on the corner," He says with a little smile, watching him calmly.

"I'm sorry...."

He chuckles softly, and Tony thinks it's beautiful seeing him so at ease, though he's not sure why Jack is so amused about him going off to meet Michelle. "Go, go. Don't keep her waiting. I recommend roses."

He stares at Jack for a long moment, then finally just nods, cleaning up and dressing quickly, trying not to think about how nice the other man looks, lounging comfortably on the bed, stomach still stained with the signs of their passion. Once he's dressed, he does lean over to indulge, finding Jack's lips with this for a long, languid kiss.

"Thanks," he murmurs softly. He wants to say so much more, but realizes they've already said enough for today, so he turns away. He's about to open the door when he hears Jack's voice.

"Tony?"

He turns. "Yeah?"

"I'll call."

He grins. "Sure. See you, Jack."

Michelle loves the roses, and doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary. But much later, when they're curled together in Tony's bed where Jack has never been, she nestles her face against his chest and breathes deeply. "Mmm... you're wearing the same cologne as Jack Bauer wears, aren't you?"

It takes him a moment to realize what she's talking about, and then he laughs softly, before he can help it. "Just something I tried on at the store when they were wrapping your flowers."

"I like it," she murmurs sleepily. "You should wear it more often."

Tony smiles to himself. "Yeah... I think I will."

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