OOM: Night Before the Allpocalypse

[trigger_man]

 It's quieter in the upstairs hallway, and there's less evidence of impending disaster up here. It's almost enough to allow you to forget what's going on downstairs, or to write it off.

Almost. Not quite.

Jack turns to Beckett as they reach his room.  "You want to come in for one more drink?"

He doesn't want to say it out loud, but there's a part of him that doesn't want to be alone just yet.

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[trigger_man]

"Yeah, the waiting is the hardest part," he says, running his hand up her spine to a point between her shoulder blades. "When you're in the middle of a crisis, you don't have time to think, you have to make decisions quickly and act."

[fanofthegenre]

"I guess I just can't decide what bothers me most," she murmurs, leaning back into the touch of his hands before her head resumes its resting place.

"That feels nice, though," she faintly adds, with a sigh.

[trigger_man]

"What do you mean, what bothers you most?" Jack asks.

[fanofthegenre]

"Between the waiting and everything else - "

She sighs again, her hand absently running over the breadth of his chest.

[trigger_man]

"Yeah. But if this helps," he says, giving the base of her neck a rub, "then at least that's something."

[fanofthegenre]

Beckett can't help it; she makes a rather undignified groan in the back of her throat.

"God, it more than helps," she murmurs, tipping her head back against his fingers.

[trigger_man]

"Good," he says softly, kneading the back of her neck. "I'd always do anything I can to help, Beckett."

[fanofthegenre]

She looks up at him then, willing her eyes to open despite the sensation of the massage already coaxing them into closing.

"You really would, wouldn't you?" she murmurs, propping herself on her elbow to look down at him.

[trigger_man]

His answer is simple; no caveats or deliberation needed.

"Yeah, I would."

She's his friend, and he would die to save her, if necessary.

[fanofthegenre]

She doesn't really know what compels her to do it, in the end. It might be everything they've gone through, or what they're about to face, or even the fact that she knows he'll have her back, no matter what.

He answers her without flinching, and she kisses him the same way, leaning down to gently brush her mouth over his, a few strands of hair slipping forward over her ear to grace his cheek.

[trigger_man]

It's not what he was expecting, but neither is it unwelcome, and it's not long before Jack lifts his chin and kisses her back.

He has a feeling he's heading somewhere dangerous, but for the moment, he doesn't care. He tried not to get close to other people and failed, and it looks like he won't have to worry about the consequences for much longer.

He's lived with pain for a long, long time; tonight of all nights, he should be able to let someone in and have a little kindness, to not be afraid of whether a ghost from the past is going to break in and spoil the moment. To think about right now, about the touch of her lips on his, the whisper of her hair against his cheek, and not about where it might go.

And probably the only person he could possibly let in like this is Beckett.

[fanofthegenre]

She breaks away slowly, albeit reluctantly, turning her head to avert her gaze as she clears her throat.

"I - I'm sorry, that wasn't - I probably shouldn't have done that, you don't need - I mean, we were just supposed to be sleeping, and - did I mention I was sorry? I think I did," she finishes, with a nervous chuckle.

[trigger_man]

"Hey," he says, lifting one hand to cup her cheek, "there's no ned to apologize. I wasn't exactly pulling away."

[fanofthegenre]

"That's true," she adds, grinning crookedly as she tilts her head into his touch, nuzzling against his calloused palm.

"So it wasn't too forward of me?"

[trigger_man]

"It was...surprising, but I wouldn't say 'forward'," he says with a slight smile.

[fanofthegenre]

"No?"

Her own grin is more challenging. Daring.

"Why not?"

[trigger_man]

"Because that makes it sound like a bad thing."

[fanofthegenre]

"So it's not a bad thing," she murmurs, leaning close to hover.

"So it might not be bad if I wanted to do it again?"

[trigger_man]

"No, I don't think it would be."

And to prove his point, he lifts his head toward hers.

[fanofthegenre]

This time, it's more deliberate when her mouth closes over his, her hand sliding up to cup the side of his face as she deepens the kiss slowly, not rushing into things.

Then again, it's not like she has all the time in the world, either.

[trigger_man]

Neither of them do. And so Jack leans into the kiss with a little urgency, threading his fingers in her hair so he can pull her closer.

[fanofthegenre]

She breathes a sigh against his mouth, her head easing into the direction of his fingers as he uses his hold to pull her in, her upper half resting gently across his.

It's been a long time, even for her, but there's definitely the stirring of something deep down as she eases back from the kiss a little to remember how to catch her breath.

[trigger_man]

Jack needs a moment to catch his breath too; this is a little overwhelming after so long hardly even being touched by other people.

"You okay?"

[fanofthegenre]

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," she promises, nodding quickly.

"Are you?"

[trigger_man]

"Yeah," he says, his hand on her back moving back down to her waist as he drops a small kiss on her jawline. "Better than fine."