(no subject)

[trigger_man]

It's the pounding in his head that wakes him the following morning, and for a moment he has that stomach-roiling panic of where am I why does my head hurt--

That is, until he realizes the real reason his head feels like someone's tried to bash it in and it's not just panic making him feel close to puking.  If there's one thing Jack's pretty familiar with, it's a hangover.

Even just the light coming through his eyelids gives him the sensation of an ice pick being stabbed into his brain, and so he slowly rolls away from the window, curling into a ball with a moan and wishing the rest of the world would just go away already.

Comments

[fanofthegenre]

"And when would I have had the opportunity to go and do that, exactly?"

She's deliberately holding the silverware just out of reach.

[trigger_man]

"You have to have some time off in your world. Though really, I don't think I want to know. That's part of your private life you can feel free to keep to yourself."

[fanofthegenre]

"Believe me, they're not exactly details I'd be broadcasting," she mutters, setting the silverware down on the table and taking a seat again.

[trigger_man]

"Yeah, I can see that."

Jack grabs a fork, poking at the eggs for a moment before playing it safe and going for the toast. It's pretty plain, but his stomach doesn't immediately reject it at least.

"If I feel this bad after a couple drinks, I have to wonder how I survived college."

[fanofthegenre]

Beckett very nearly snorts into her coffee.

"Don't tell me you were a partier, Jack."

[trigger_man]

"Not a lot. I had to stay on top of my work and ROTC commitments so I could keep my funding, but every couple weekends, maybe."

He cradles the cup of coffee in his hands, looking up at her. "What about you? Were you the perfect student or did you run wild before deciding to be a cop?"

He has his suspicions.

[fanofthegenre]

Rather than answer his question directly, she smirks behind her coffee - even if the expression does travel upward to her eyes.

"You tell me."

[trigger_man]

Jack thinks for a moment. "I think you were a pretty good student overall, but you had your wild moments every so often. I don't think I can see you being either extreme."

[fanofthegenre]

She nods. He's got her pretty pegged.

"The things you don't know about me could fill a - "

Wait. Damn it, Castle.

" - book you've already read," she finishes, "though I wouldn't exactly use it as your reference guide to all things Beckett."

[trigger_man]

"Don't worry, I don't. Besides, it's not exactly a biography. There's only so much background he can fit in around the mystery."

Jack gives her a small smile over the rim of his coffee cup. "Though do you really like Pixar movies that much?"

[fanofthegenre]

For a beat, she doesn't say anything at all - and then, she stabs at her eggs.

"No comment."

[trigger_man]

"Yes, in other words. Not that I think that's a bad thing."

He'll deny it until the end of his days, but he got a little choked up watching Finding Nemo when he stumbled over it on TV a couple years after it came out.

[fanofthegenre]

She smiles slowly.

"You, too? Never would've guessed."

[trigger_man]

Jack gives her a look. "I've seen one or two. Both times when my daughter wanted to see them."

[fanofthegenre]

"Admit it."

The smile is starting to grow.

"You found yourself liking them too, towards the end."

[trigger_man]

Jack looks down at his plate, poking at his eggs again before finally raising a forkful to his lips. "No comment."

[fanofthegenre]

She won't press the subject, but she will get up to refresh her cup of coffee and then his, reaching across to pull the mug over so she isn't leaning over him.

"Oh, and unlike Nikki, I don't get into the habit of fighting bad guys without any clothes on."

[trigger_man]

"I should sure as hell hope not. At the very least, it's that much easier to get hurt."

Not that Jack hasn't had to do it before.

[fanofthegenre]

"You'd think."

She represses a small shudder at the mere idea.

"I mean, awkward aside, it would definitely give you the element of surprise."

[trigger_man]

"That depends why you were naked in the first place," Jack says, darkly. He hadn't had much of a choice, when he'd been trying to keep the chip that proved the Cyprus recording was fake a few years ago.

"You could say that being clothed would give an attacker other things to grab to try and hold you."

[fanofthegenre]

"You've clearly given this a lot of thought, haven't you?"

She's struggling to fight off a very obvious grin at this point; he's just so serious about the subject that it's easy for her to be anything but.

[trigger_man]

"Not a lot of thought." He hesitates for a moment before adding, "A little experience, maybe."

[fanofthegenre]

"Shut the front door," Beckett murmurs, the phrase slipping out by near-reflex.

"Well, that's - well."

[trigger_man]

That gets her a slightly wry smile. "I've surprised you into speechlessness. That's got to be an accomplishment."

[fanofthegenre]

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Bauer," she mutters, making a face.

"I'll find a way to turn the tables soon enough."