Fic: Lost - The Only Time
Title: The Only Time
Fandom: Lost
Pairing: Ben/Juliet
Spoilers: Nothing beyond Season 3, and nothing terribly specific there.
Summary: "I'm pretending you've come here to apologize."
Notes: Written for picfor1000. Thanks to very_improbable for the quick read-through.
The storm had rolled in suddenly; Ben's clothes were soaked, and he'd certainly have grabbed a jacket if he'd seen clouds on the horizon. Juliet pulled him inside and shut the door.
"I'm pretending you've come here to apologize," she explained, taking him by his sodden wrist and leading him into the kitchen.
"Well, now--" Ben began, and Juliet didn't need to hear the rest of that sentence to know it would only irritate her, just like she didn't need to see his face to know he was smirking.
"Why, thank you, Ben," she interrupted, laying on sweetness and sarcasm in equal measure as she slid her hand up to his shoulder. "I accept your gracious apology." She caught his eye, and shook her head when he opened his mouth again. "No," she said, "This is only going to work if you aren't talking."
Both hands on Ben's shoulders now, she pushed him back against the counter. Ben's face was a tangle of shadows in the storm-darkened kitchen, but his eyes were clearly visible, shining always with that odd mixture of curiosity and calculation.
"Quit trying to figure me out," Juliet told him, pressing in against the cool, damp fabric of his button-down shirt and kissing him like she'd rather be hitting him. She'd certainly thought about it. About both options, and a dozen other, even more improbable approaches to the problem of Ben.
Ben, who had one hand gently curled around her hip. Ben, who had ordered her kidnapped and brought to a goddamn island. Ben, who had a band of followers willing to kill for him at a word.
Ben, whose wet shirt was cold and clammy where it pressed against Juliet's bare forearms.
"Off," she said into Ben's mouth, "Take this off." But those were her fingers coaxing apart the buttons down the front of his shirt, her hands sliding up along the smooth, cool skin of his belly and chest. His right hand tightened briefly on her hip as his left came up to curve along her spine. Not much of a response by traditional standards, but coming from Ben...
Juliet grinned, and slid her fingers down to trace along the waistband of his trousers, slipping just under the edge to tease at sensitive, heated skin. Ben shuddered, huffing a breath against her neck as she flicked open the top button. Juliet laughed quietly at his faint groan as her hands retreated - still not talking, she noted; able to follow directions when properly motivated. She pulled him in for another kiss even as she shoved his shirt all the way off, leaving it to land in a heap on the floor as she grabbed his wrist again and led him to the bedroom.
* * *
The sound of rain pattering on the windows woke Juliet out of a hazy dream. It looked brighter outside, closer to the gentle showers that normally graced the island than the dark downpour of the previous night. She considered dozing some more, but sleep was already receding as her brain started ticking away.
She was brushing her teeth when she heard the bedroom door swing open and click shut again. She stuck her head out of the bathroom; Ben stood at the foot of her bed with a bag in his hand.
"Good morning," he said, looking almost cheerful. It was one of the eerier things Juliet had witnessed in her life.
"What are you doing?" Juliet asked. Before Ben could answer, she ducked into the bathroom and spat in the sink; spewing toothpaste during an argument wasn't her style. Done rinsing, she turned to find Ben leaning in the doorway, looking at her in a way that could charitably be described as fond.
"You've got a little," Ben touched the corner of his mouth, then reached a hand toward Juliet's face. She turned to the mirror and swiped away the smudge of toothpaste. Ben's hand still hovered behind her, almost touching her shoulder. .
"What's in the bag?"
Ben was unsettled enough that Juliet could see a frown flicker across his face before the calm mask slid back in place. "Just some things," he said, lifting it up so she could hear the bag rustle. She turned to face him again, and he pulled out a few items, all bearing the ubiquitous Dharma logo. New toothpaste, a bottle of aspirin, and more rolls of toilet paper than she'd seen in one place since arriving on the island (three, to be precise; bathroom tissue was doled out sparingly.)
"Did you go get this?" Juliet asked. She looked Ben over carefully - he was dressed, shirt dry but severely wrinkled, and his feet were bare.
"I noticed you were running low on some necessities so I called Matthew." Ben smiled in what he clearly thought was a charming way. "I'm not allowed to do nice things for you?"
Juliet closed her eyes for a moment. "You called Matthew. From my house. You asked him to bring toilet paper."
"Yes," Ben answered, wearing his best utterly guileless expression. Juliet was sure it would be very convincing if she'd never met Ben before.
"Subtle, Ben," she said, turning back to the mirror. "Really, I'm impressed."
"Juliet--"
"I'm going to take a shower," she said coolly, "and you're going to leave."
"Juliet," he said, and again she could see his careful expression faltering.
"I'm pretty sure I stated my terms, Ben." She held his gaze, watching him play back through what she'd asked of him the night before. Turning away, she busied herself adjusting the temperature of the shower.
"I think you know," Ben said after a long moment of silence, "That the last thing I'd want to do is lie to you."
Juliet did her best not to react to the brief touch of his hand on the small of her back. She heard a faint rustling as Ben set down the bag, and then only the hushed whisper of his retreating footsteps.
And, of course, my challenge image:
YEAH, I KNOW.
Fandom: Lost
Pairing: Ben/Juliet
Spoilers: Nothing beyond Season 3, and nothing terribly specific there.
Summary: "I'm pretending you've come here to apologize."
Notes: Written for picfor1000. Thanks to very_improbable for the quick read-through.
The storm had rolled in suddenly; Ben's clothes were soaked, and he'd certainly have grabbed a jacket if he'd seen clouds on the horizon. Juliet pulled him inside and shut the door.
"I'm pretending you've come here to apologize," she explained, taking him by his sodden wrist and leading him into the kitchen.
"Well, now--" Ben began, and Juliet didn't need to hear the rest of that sentence to know it would only irritate her, just like she didn't need to see his face to know he was smirking.
"Why, thank you, Ben," she interrupted, laying on sweetness and sarcasm in equal measure as she slid her hand up to his shoulder. "I accept your gracious apology." She caught his eye, and shook her head when he opened his mouth again. "No," she said, "This is only going to work if you aren't talking."
Both hands on Ben's shoulders now, she pushed him back against the counter. Ben's face was a tangle of shadows in the storm-darkened kitchen, but his eyes were clearly visible, shining always with that odd mixture of curiosity and calculation.
"Quit trying to figure me out," Juliet told him, pressing in against the cool, damp fabric of his button-down shirt and kissing him like she'd rather be hitting him. She'd certainly thought about it. About both options, and a dozen other, even more improbable approaches to the problem of Ben.
Ben, who had one hand gently curled around her hip. Ben, who had ordered her kidnapped and brought to a goddamn island. Ben, who had a band of followers willing to kill for him at a word.
Ben, whose wet shirt was cold and clammy where it pressed against Juliet's bare forearms.
"Off," she said into Ben's mouth, "Take this off." But those were her fingers coaxing apart the buttons down the front of his shirt, her hands sliding up along the smooth, cool skin of his belly and chest. His right hand tightened briefly on her hip as his left came up to curve along her spine. Not much of a response by traditional standards, but coming from Ben...
Juliet grinned, and slid her fingers down to trace along the waistband of his trousers, slipping just under the edge to tease at sensitive, heated skin. Ben shuddered, huffing a breath against her neck as she flicked open the top button. Juliet laughed quietly at his faint groan as her hands retreated - still not talking, she noted; able to follow directions when properly motivated. She pulled him in for another kiss even as she shoved his shirt all the way off, leaving it to land in a heap on the floor as she grabbed his wrist again and led him to the bedroom.
* * *
The sound of rain pattering on the windows woke Juliet out of a hazy dream. It looked brighter outside, closer to the gentle showers that normally graced the island than the dark downpour of the previous night. She considered dozing some more, but sleep was already receding as her brain started ticking away.
She was brushing her teeth when she heard the bedroom door swing open and click shut again. She stuck her head out of the bathroom; Ben stood at the foot of her bed with a bag in his hand.
"Good morning," he said, looking almost cheerful. It was one of the eerier things Juliet had witnessed in her life.
"What are you doing?" Juliet asked. Before Ben could answer, she ducked into the bathroom and spat in the sink; spewing toothpaste during an argument wasn't her style. Done rinsing, she turned to find Ben leaning in the doorway, looking at her in a way that could charitably be described as fond.
"You've got a little," Ben touched the corner of his mouth, then reached a hand toward Juliet's face. She turned to the mirror and swiped away the smudge of toothpaste. Ben's hand still hovered behind her, almost touching her shoulder. .
"What's in the bag?"
Ben was unsettled enough that Juliet could see a frown flicker across his face before the calm mask slid back in place. "Just some things," he said, lifting it up so she could hear the bag rustle. She turned to face him again, and he pulled out a few items, all bearing the ubiquitous Dharma logo. New toothpaste, a bottle of aspirin, and more rolls of toilet paper than she'd seen in one place since arriving on the island (three, to be precise; bathroom tissue was doled out sparingly.)
"Did you go get this?" Juliet asked. She looked Ben over carefully - he was dressed, shirt dry but severely wrinkled, and his feet were bare.
"I noticed you were running low on some necessities so I called Matthew." Ben smiled in what he clearly thought was a charming way. "I'm not allowed to do nice things for you?"
Juliet closed her eyes for a moment. "You called Matthew. From my house. You asked him to bring toilet paper."
"Yes," Ben answered, wearing his best utterly guileless expression. Juliet was sure it would be very convincing if she'd never met Ben before.
"Subtle, Ben," she said, turning back to the mirror. "Really, I'm impressed."
"Juliet--"
"I'm going to take a shower," she said coolly, "and you're going to leave."
"Juliet," he said, and again she could see his careful expression faltering.
"I'm pretty sure I stated my terms, Ben." She held his gaze, watching him play back through what she'd asked of him the night before. Turning away, she busied herself adjusting the temperature of the shower.
"I think you know," Ben said after a long moment of silence, "That the last thing I'd want to do is lie to you."
Juliet did her best not to react to the brief touch of his hand on the small of her back. She heard a faint rustling as Ben set down the bag, and then only the hushed whisper of his retreating footsteps.
And, of course, my challenge image:
YEAH, I KNOW.