Val

[im_torchwood]

There had been a flurry of activity on the solstice, but everything had died down. Jack had stopped monitoring and turned off the alerts. It was a beautiful day. Too beutiful to think about work.

"Hey," he said to Val, smacking the door jamb to get the man's attention. "It's too good outside to be cooped up down here. Fancy getting some lunch with me?"

He already had his coat on, ready to go. He reached in the pocket and pulled out his keys, jingling them.

"Come on, you know you want to."

Comments

[hollow_moon]

Val smiled at that, covering Jack's hand with his own, but keeping his full attention on the road as he started to drive them out of the city.

"Why don't you put on some music?" he suggested.

[im_torchwood]

Jack nodded and began to fuss with the radio. Talk, classical, screaming rock, German EDM... Enough of that. He pulled out his phone and paired it, then put on Glenn Miller.

"That's more like it," he smiled.

[hollow_moon]

"Oh my god, it's like dating someone's grandfather," Val laughed, his smile bright and wide. "One day I'm going to get you into modern music, Jack. One day."

[im_torchwood]

"I like what I like, okay?" he laughed. "You can't go wrong with music like this. Modern music doesn't have this kind of romance."

[hollow_moon]

"Now you really sound like a granddad," Val laughed, shaking his head and grinning. "Modern music's not all bad."

[im_torchwood]

"Oh yeah? Then I challenge you to find me one song, just one, with some romance in it," Jack chuckled.

[hollow_moon]

"I'm sure I could find several," Val countered. "It's fine though, grandad. I won't ask you to turn off your music."

[im_torchwood]

Jack smiled for another long moment, but it slowly began to fade. A question caught in his mind and he couldn't let it go.

"Does it bother you, Val? That I'm older than you?" he asked.

[hollow_moon]

"Saying you're older than me is a bit of an understatement, isn't it?" Val replied, glancing over briefly and noting the look on Jack's face. "It doesn't bother me, but pretending it's not true doesn't do us any good, does it? You've lived several lifetimes more than me. You'll live many more once I'm gone. It's part of who you are, just as being the wolf is part of who I am. We have to let those things all be part of us as a whole, wouldn't you agree?"

[im_torchwood]

"Yeah. It's not like I can change it. I just wanted to know if it's something you can see yourself living with for a while. A long while, I'd hope," Jack said softly.

[hollow_moon]

"Jack, if I had an issue with your age, I promise you, it would have come up much sooner than now. ...I enjoy your company. I enjoy us. I'm happy, and a long while doesn't seem long enough," he assured the other man.

[im_torchwood]

Hearing that made him relax and settle back into the seat. He could handle watching a partner age, but he had a hell of a time when someone left his life after only a short time.

"That's good to hear," he said with a soft smile. "I was hoping you'd say that, actually. Because I'm with you to the end, Val. Whatever comes."

[hollow_moon]

Val smiled on that, eyes on the road as he reached over and gave Jack's leg a squeeze.

[im_torchwood]

Jack covered Val's hand and rode like that in silence for quite a while as Glenn Miller and his band played Moonlight Serenade.

"What's the menu like at the club?" he asked after quite some time.

[hollow_moon]

"This time of year there's a lot of shellfish," Val replied thoughtfully. "Steak, always. The new chef is french, so I imagine there'll be some French delicacies on the menu as well," he added, smiling as they cruised through the countryside.

[im_torchwood]

"That sounds so good. I wish I could eat everything. All of it," Jack said. He had a tremendous appetite and could probably devour anything put in front of him, but what he was really interested in was...

"We should eat dessert first."

[hollow_moon]

"Oh? Alright, lover, whatever you desire," Val chuckled, nodding as the club came into view up ahead.

[im_torchwood]

The grounds were well manicured and the club itself was a posh building of grand architecture. Jack, who was no stranger to the finer things in life, was duly impressed nonetheless.

"Be careful, Val. I could get used to this," he said, flashing a smile as they pulled to a stop for the valet to take the car.

[hollow_moon]

"I'd be more than happy to spoil you," Val assured him, before handing the keys off to the valet and offering Jack his arm.

[im_torchwood]

Jack took his arm and headed inside.

"Yeah, I could really get used to this," he said, taking in the opulent decorating and classic architecture. "I'll be your arm candy every night."