It's Pretty Obvious (After It's Pointed Out) (30 Rock, Jack/Liz)
Title: It's Pretty Obvious (After It's Pointed Out)
Prompt: 100_situations #070. Sweet
Fandom: 30 Rock
Pairing: Jack/Liz
Spoilers: S3 Promo
Word Count: 1,295
Rating: PG
Notes: Another promo fic before the show returns. Again, I know this has nothing to do with what's going on in the premiere.
Table: Number Two.
Summary: Liz doesn't know what she's doing. Literally.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue!
*
Liz doesn't know what she's doing. Literally. She doesn't remember where she's walking to, even. This could be the way to Jenna's dressing room, maybe? But she doesn't know why she'd go there right now. If things were back to normal, she'd be going up to Jack's office. But Kathy Geiss is in Jack's office, while Jack has spent most of his day trying to put his "Destroy Devon" plans into motion. (Her name, not his. His name for this operation is longer and features the word subterfuge.) As for Liz, she's spent most of her day looking like an idiot in front of the adoption agent who will, most likely, not make her dreams come true as her staff has spent most of their time looking dangerous and/or crazy and, in their not meant to be malicious comments, made Liz sound like an unsupportive, bad at being nurturing, jerk-type lady.
She kind of feels like crying. But she's not going to because, God, she is not in the mood to cry at work. Especially since she's not in her office, where there are tissues and Fig Newtons.
"Lemon?"
Liz turns around at the sound of Jack's voice. "Oh. Hey. Destroyed Devon yet?"
Jack shakes his head. "Not as of yet, no. How has the evaluation been progressing?"
"Oh. You know." She exhales. "Really, really badly." She lets out another breath. "Seen any good movies lately?" This sentence comes out as a strangled cry. "I haven't. I'm not almost crying about movies."
"I know." He takes a step closer. "Exactly what happened today?"
"Everyone looks crazy. I look crazy. I am crazy. I know I'm not providing details, but I don't want to talk about it. I just want to curl up into a ball and die. I'm going to go do that."
He grabs her arm as she turns to go. "I'm not going to let you curl up into a ball and die, Lemon."
"I didn't mean that literally."
"I'm aware of that, and I'm not going to let you curl up and die in the figurative sense you meant to imply. Neither of us can give up on our goals. We are not failures."
"You're not a failure. I have a wedding dress that's covered in ham fat and will probably only have a baby if I do it with Dennis again."
"You're not a failure. Regardless of your stained wedding dress and your attraction to men who are beneath you, I have no doubt everything will work out. Because you..." There's a long pause and she realizes he's still touching her arm. "...are wonderful."
It's weird that he sounds so sincere after searching his brain long and hard and only coming up with two words. He can usually come up with a wordy pep talk on the fly, and now he's sputtering with simple declarations. Which must mean he doesn't mean it, but he sounds like he means it. It would be mostly sweet coming from anyone else, and it is sweet coming from him, but it's mostly... something else. It's... weird is the best way to describe it. Weird could also describe the way he's looking at her, like... he's in love with her. She knows how he looks at a woman he's in love with; she watched the way he looked at C.C.
This isn't the first time he's looked at her like he's in love with her. But this is the first time it's lasted for more than a few seconds.
Of course he's not in love with her, but in the moment, as the seconds continue to pass and he's silently gazing at her, it feels like he is completely into her. He leans forward like he's going to kiss her, but she doesn't wait for him to remove all doubt. She grabs his face and draws him into a kiss. Because... she likes him. Because this feels like something, even though it can't possibly be. That's why she pulls him into a kiss, that's why she keeps kissing him. Why he's kissing her back... who knows. But, wow, he is really kissing her back.
The adoption agent catches them when her back is against the wall and his hand is right under her boob. And, through the embarrassment of the situation, Liz realizes she just made out with Jack.
Obviously, the only solution Liz can think of is to run away. So she runs away.
*
And running away was what made the most sense. Who responds to a bad day by making out with her once-and-future-boss in a hallway? And, sadly, this behavior was the most normal thing the adoption agent witnessed.
"Lemon."
She doesn't turn to face Jack and, when he is right behind her, she half-heartedly pushes him away with her hand on his face. He takes her hand and moves it to his cheek. She wonders if he thinks that was what she was trying to do.
"Honestly," he says, his thumb moving back and forth against her skin, "you shouldn't worry."
She waits for him to elaborate for a good minute before she pulls away and turns to face him. "That's all you have to say? I look like a crazy person in front of that lady. A woman with a crazy life and seriously crazy, like mentally ill, people working for and with me, someone who kisses dudes where anyone could find me. It's like a soap opera. A bad soap opera where there's a bear and a woman covered in honey. I guess I don't even know if it's bad, I just saw a clip on YouTube. I sent the link to you, right? Ugh, that's not the point."
"I know that's not the point and, yes, you did send me the bear clip." Jack tilts his head slightly. "You've kissed other men today?"
"That's what you're focused on?"
"Well, I don't believe the visit from the adoption agent was a complete disaster, and I convinced her to not judge you based on one day, as that would be entirely unfair. She doesn't seem like an unreasonable woman, and I am a persuasive man."
She sort of smiles. "Oh. Thanks."
"Have you kissed anyone else?"
"No, of course not. I don't know why I said 'of course not.'"
"I was hoping you said it because I'm currently the only man you'd want to press you up against a wall." He says this so nonchalantly that it's kind of weird. Even weirder is how he says, "I suppose you've figured out I have... feelings for you."
"I have?"
He must not have noticed the questioning tone to her voice, because he pulls her into a kiss. Different from her kiss. It's less desperate, first of all. But it's so... good.
Why is this happening? Why does she want it to happen?
"You have... feelings for me?" she says after their lips part.
He moves his head, plants a light kiss on her mouth from a different angle. "You honestly didn't know before this?"
"I thought you were looking at me like you love me. But... that's not right, is it? You don't... love me, do you?"
"I care for you as much as you're ready for me to care for you."
It's so... vague, but she's okay with it. Just like she's okay with him pressing her against another wall and letting his hand again rest near her boob.
Mostly. "Wait," she says as she pulls away, "you didn't give me a real pep talk."
He brushes his lips over her cheek. "If you don't mind, I'd rather do this for a while."
"Okay, yeah. That's fine."
And, actually, she does feel like everything's going to be okay.
END
Prompt: 100_situations #070. Sweet
Fandom: 30 Rock
Pairing: Jack/Liz
Spoilers: S3 Promo
Word Count: 1,295
Rating: PG
Notes: Another promo fic before the show returns. Again, I know this has nothing to do with what's going on in the premiere.
Table: Number Two.
Summary: Liz doesn't know what she's doing. Literally.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue!
*
Liz doesn't know what she's doing. Literally. She doesn't remember where she's walking to, even. This could be the way to Jenna's dressing room, maybe? But she doesn't know why she'd go there right now. If things were back to normal, she'd be going up to Jack's office. But Kathy Geiss is in Jack's office, while Jack has spent most of his day trying to put his "Destroy Devon" plans into motion. (Her name, not his. His name for this operation is longer and features the word subterfuge.) As for Liz, she's spent most of her day looking like an idiot in front of the adoption agent who will, most likely, not make her dreams come true as her staff has spent most of their time looking dangerous and/or crazy and, in their not meant to be malicious comments, made Liz sound like an unsupportive, bad at being nurturing, jerk-type lady.
She kind of feels like crying. But she's not going to because, God, she is not in the mood to cry at work. Especially since she's not in her office, where there are tissues and Fig Newtons.
"Lemon?"
Liz turns around at the sound of Jack's voice. "Oh. Hey. Destroyed Devon yet?"
Jack shakes his head. "Not as of yet, no. How has the evaluation been progressing?"
"Oh. You know." She exhales. "Really, really badly." She lets out another breath. "Seen any good movies lately?" This sentence comes out as a strangled cry. "I haven't. I'm not almost crying about movies."
"I know." He takes a step closer. "Exactly what happened today?"
"Everyone looks crazy. I look crazy. I am crazy. I know I'm not providing details, but I don't want to talk about it. I just want to curl up into a ball and die. I'm going to go do that."
He grabs her arm as she turns to go. "I'm not going to let you curl up into a ball and die, Lemon."
"I didn't mean that literally."
"I'm aware of that, and I'm not going to let you curl up and die in the figurative sense you meant to imply. Neither of us can give up on our goals. We are not failures."
"You're not a failure. I have a wedding dress that's covered in ham fat and will probably only have a baby if I do it with Dennis again."
"You're not a failure. Regardless of your stained wedding dress and your attraction to men who are beneath you, I have no doubt everything will work out. Because you..." There's a long pause and she realizes he's still touching her arm. "...are wonderful."
It's weird that he sounds so sincere after searching his brain long and hard and only coming up with two words. He can usually come up with a wordy pep talk on the fly, and now he's sputtering with simple declarations. Which must mean he doesn't mean it, but he sounds like he means it. It would be mostly sweet coming from anyone else, and it is sweet coming from him, but it's mostly... something else. It's... weird is the best way to describe it. Weird could also describe the way he's looking at her, like... he's in love with her. She knows how he looks at a woman he's in love with; she watched the way he looked at C.C.
This isn't the first time he's looked at her like he's in love with her. But this is the first time it's lasted for more than a few seconds.
Of course he's not in love with her, but in the moment, as the seconds continue to pass and he's silently gazing at her, it feels like he is completely into her. He leans forward like he's going to kiss her, but she doesn't wait for him to remove all doubt. She grabs his face and draws him into a kiss. Because... she likes him. Because this feels like something, even though it can't possibly be. That's why she pulls him into a kiss, that's why she keeps kissing him. Why he's kissing her back... who knows. But, wow, he is really kissing her back.
The adoption agent catches them when her back is against the wall and his hand is right under her boob. And, through the embarrassment of the situation, Liz realizes she just made out with Jack.
Obviously, the only solution Liz can think of is to run away. So she runs away.
*
And running away was what made the most sense. Who responds to a bad day by making out with her once-and-future-boss in a hallway? And, sadly, this behavior was the most normal thing the adoption agent witnessed.
"Lemon."
She doesn't turn to face Jack and, when he is right behind her, she half-heartedly pushes him away with her hand on his face. He takes her hand and moves it to his cheek. She wonders if he thinks that was what she was trying to do.
"Honestly," he says, his thumb moving back and forth against her skin, "you shouldn't worry."
She waits for him to elaborate for a good minute before she pulls away and turns to face him. "That's all you have to say? I look like a crazy person in front of that lady. A woman with a crazy life and seriously crazy, like mentally ill, people working for and with me, someone who kisses dudes where anyone could find me. It's like a soap opera. A bad soap opera where there's a bear and a woman covered in honey. I guess I don't even know if it's bad, I just saw a clip on YouTube. I sent the link to you, right? Ugh, that's not the point."
"I know that's not the point and, yes, you did send me the bear clip." Jack tilts his head slightly. "You've kissed other men today?"
"That's what you're focused on?"
"Well, I don't believe the visit from the adoption agent was a complete disaster, and I convinced her to not judge you based on one day, as that would be entirely unfair. She doesn't seem like an unreasonable woman, and I am a persuasive man."
She sort of smiles. "Oh. Thanks."
"Have you kissed anyone else?"
"No, of course not. I don't know why I said 'of course not.'"
"I was hoping you said it because I'm currently the only man you'd want to press you up against a wall." He says this so nonchalantly that it's kind of weird. Even weirder is how he says, "I suppose you've figured out I have... feelings for you."
"I have?"
He must not have noticed the questioning tone to her voice, because he pulls her into a kiss. Different from her kiss. It's less desperate, first of all. But it's so... good.
Why is this happening? Why does she want it to happen?
"You have... feelings for me?" she says after their lips part.
He moves his head, plants a light kiss on her mouth from a different angle. "You honestly didn't know before this?"
"I thought you were looking at me like you love me. But... that's not right, is it? You don't... love me, do you?"
"I care for you as much as you're ready for me to care for you."
It's so... vague, but she's okay with it. Just like she's okay with him pressing her against another wall and letting his hand again rest near her boob.
Mostly. "Wait," she says as she pulls away, "you didn't give me a real pep talk."
He brushes his lips over her cheek. "If you don't mind, I'd rather do this for a while."
"Okay, yeah. That's fine."
And, actually, she does feel like everything's going to be okay.
END