“I’m vulnerable around you, and it only gets worse when you smile.” with darkjack maybe? or a ship of your choice--I'm not picky!
Watching Jack as he dozed quietly at his side, Dark felt something in his chest, some feeling he didn’t recognize, twist around and pull on his organs. It was unpleasant, to say the least, but the warmth that spread from the twisting was… Nice. His stomach turned, and it spread warmth through his entire abdomen.
Months ago, when he’d first met the Irishman, he’d thought he was a loud, unnecessary annoyance, but bearable. He was the younger brother of one of Dark’s long-time partners - Anti - and was finally getting into the world his brother damn near ran alongside Dark and a few others. Anti wanted them to meet, wanted Jack to get a taste of the other higher ups in their world. Dark had agreed to deal with him until his and Anti’s most recent cooperative mission was complete, and he’d thought that, surely, he could forget all about Jack the moment the operation was complete, but… That hadn’t happened.
Somehow, that hadn’t happened.
Somehow, Jack had torn open his cold and empty chest and burrowed in somewhere beneath his ribs, bringing that horrible twisting, tugging feeling and the warmth that came with it. Bringing emotions Dark hadn’t felt since before he’d started down this path, emotions that Dark had been very sure he wasn’t capable of feeling anymore.
He’d buried a lot of his old self under his new one, most of his normal human emotions included in the death toll of that particular personality equivalent of a cave-in.
Once upon a time, though he’d probably never admit it, he’d been a regular person. He’d been Damien Knight, a hard-working and quiet guy fresh out of high school… And then everything changed. Damien, as far as the world outside of his new, was dead. Dark rose to power not long after, bringing about a new age to the criminal underworld of Damien’s home town and transforming it into a criminal overworld.
He’d never thought any trace of that life would return, never thought he could be tender again, until Jack fell into bed with him for the first time.
He’d wanted to break him. Wanted to take him apart piece by piece and show him once and for all that trusting anyone in this world was a horrible idea. That being attracted to him was a bad idea. That taking an invitation like this was an even worse one.
But once he had Jack under him, all of those desires had melted away. He’d taken him slow and gentle and that had been that. He’d treated him like something precious, because he was. People like Jack, people who were very genuinely good, were rare in this world. He didn’t even know why someone so sweet and kind wanted to be involved with him.
He sighed, running fingers that had killed dozens of men and women through the fluff of Jack’s hair with a tenderness reserved specifically for him. He let his thumb brush the smaller male’s cheek. He marveled at the softness of the skin and did it again.
The twisting in his guts got worse, but the warmth spread itself to the very edges of his body, and he found his lips quirking up at the edges.
Jack hummed softly, sleepily, and turned his face into Dark’s hand. Dark allowed it and merely began to run his fingers through his hair again.
His breath caught in his chest when Jack hummed again and snuggled closer, practically attaching himself to his chest. His chapped lips curved up on one side, hand clenching on Dark’s back. Dark wondered when he’d turned on his side to pull Jack against him like this.
He guessed it didn’t matter. But that smile…
“I’m vulnerable around you,” He mumbled, laying his head down and closing his eyes, “And it only gets worse when you smile.”
With his eyes closed, he missed the way that Jack’s smile only broadened, clearly aware of what he’d said.
