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rainbowfic2019-01-18 05:12 pm
bookblather) wrote in rainbowfic2019-01-18 05:12 pm
Lapis Lazuli 3, Paris Green 17: By Ear
Author: Kat
Title: By Ear
Story: Shine Like It Does
Colors: Lapis lazuli 3 (flux), paris green 17 (Concept show) with shadowsong's paint by numbers (Sometimes, Jack gets offered really, really weird roles.)
Supplies and Materials: Novelty beads ("There's a difference between dormant and patient." -The Doctor), stain (He who hesitates is not only lost, but miles from the next exit. -Unknown)
Word Count: 729
Rating: PG.
Summary: Charlotte and Jack talk about choices.
Warnings: none.
Notes: None.
Jack sat on the floor by Charlotte's piano bench, head tilted back onto the seat, looking vaguely and rather quizzically at the ceiling. This was fairly usual for him, and in other circumstances Charlotte wouldn't have minded, but she did need to keep in practice if she was ever going to get another job, and he was in the way.
She walked over to him and tapped him on the forehead. "Lean forward, I need my music. What are you thinking about?"
"This script," Jack said, leaning forward obediently. He picked up a bundle of papers and shook them at her. "It's... odd."
Coming from Jack, that meant it was very odd indeed. "Odd how?"
"Well, I would spend most of it naked."
Charlotte, who had opened the piano bench, stopped sifting through her music to look at him. "That's odd? For you?"
Jack laughed, and affectionately flipped her off. "No, not for me, but I wouldn't... okay, I'd be naked, but I'd be wearing full body paint as a costume. And not interesting body paint, either, just... a costume. Like, I'd have a suit painted on me, and that would be my costume for the scene."
"Sounds itchy," Charlotte said. "Also avant-garde."
"Yeah," Jack said. "That would be everyone, by the way, not just me. I wonder where they got the funding for the body painter. Those do not come cheap."
Charlotte found the music she was looking for and shut the bench. "Do I want to know how you know that?"
Jack grinned up at her, and shook his shoulders. "Mardi Gras, baby."
She rolled her eyes as she sat down. "Let's let what happens in New Orleans stay in New Orleans, shall we?"
This time, he blew her a kiss, and riffled through the script pages. "I don't know, it just feels like somebody's vanity project. Like they want the former boy band star so they can show how edgy they are, instead of, you know, me."
"Is there a difference?" Charlotte set her music on the piano stand and spread it open, smoothing her hands over the slightly wrinkled pages.
"Ye-es?" Jack frowned. "Yes. The former boy band star is part of me, but not all of me. And not even a very big part these days."
"You're still handsome enough for it," she told him, twisting to ruffle a hand through his dark hair. "Though I haven't heard you sing lately."
He leaned into her touch, catlike, rubbing his head against her hand. "I sing. In the shower."
Charlotte laughed. "Oh, Jack."
"I do," he said, twisting around to look up at her, dark eyes serious. "I haven't... given anything up."
"Jack..." She trailed off. What could she say? She hadn't been home for any of it, first away at college and then teaching in Massachusetts, before that went down the tubes. She'd watched Jack on TV, of course, and gone to his concerts when she could, and of course they'd talked, but it wasn't the same as being there, seeing his life fall apart. She'd been too preoccupied with her own collapse to notice.
"I mean it," Jack said, and smiled-- a real smile, unforced. "It was going to happen anyway, even if I hadn't flamed out. Eddie wanted a solo career and Nick wanted to go back to college, and then the whole thing with our manager. I don't think I lost anything, and I don't miss it."
He had lost something, just like her. Charlotte knew he had, and he knew she knew, but if he didn't want to talk about Ricky she wouldn't bring it up. "You do sound good," she said, instead.
"Baby, I always sound good," Jack said, and tossed the script aside. "Too weird for my taste. You miss my singing, Carlita? Scoot over."
"Don't you have work to do?" she asked, but she was already moving over, making room.
He got to his feet and sat next to her, all gangling limbs and flashing smile. "Who needs work when I can sing with my sister?"
"People who have rent to pay," she retorted, but folded up her music and set it atop the piano. They'd both lost something, but not this, at least. Not each other. "What do you want to sing?"
Jack slung an arm around her shoulders. "Pick something. We'll play it by ear."
Title: By Ear
Story: Shine Like It Does
Colors: Lapis lazuli 3 (flux), paris green 17 (Concept show) with shadowsong's paint by numbers (Sometimes, Jack gets offered really, really weird roles.)
Supplies and Materials: Novelty beads ("There's a difference between dormant and patient." -The Doctor), stain (He who hesitates is not only lost, but miles from the next exit. -Unknown)
Word Count: 729
Rating: PG.
Summary: Charlotte and Jack talk about choices.
Warnings: none.
Notes: None.
Jack sat on the floor by Charlotte's piano bench, head tilted back onto the seat, looking vaguely and rather quizzically at the ceiling. This was fairly usual for him, and in other circumstances Charlotte wouldn't have minded, but she did need to keep in practice if she was ever going to get another job, and he was in the way.
She walked over to him and tapped him on the forehead. "Lean forward, I need my music. What are you thinking about?"
"This script," Jack said, leaning forward obediently. He picked up a bundle of papers and shook them at her. "It's... odd."
Coming from Jack, that meant it was very odd indeed. "Odd how?"
"Well, I would spend most of it naked."
Charlotte, who had opened the piano bench, stopped sifting through her music to look at him. "That's odd? For you?"
Jack laughed, and affectionately flipped her off. "No, not for me, but I wouldn't... okay, I'd be naked, but I'd be wearing full body paint as a costume. And not interesting body paint, either, just... a costume. Like, I'd have a suit painted on me, and that would be my costume for the scene."
"Sounds itchy," Charlotte said. "Also avant-garde."
"Yeah," Jack said. "That would be everyone, by the way, not just me. I wonder where they got the funding for the body painter. Those do not come cheap."
Charlotte found the music she was looking for and shut the bench. "Do I want to know how you know that?"
Jack grinned up at her, and shook his shoulders. "Mardi Gras, baby."
She rolled her eyes as she sat down. "Let's let what happens in New Orleans stay in New Orleans, shall we?"
This time, he blew her a kiss, and riffled through the script pages. "I don't know, it just feels like somebody's vanity project. Like they want the former boy band star so they can show how edgy they are, instead of, you know, me."
"Is there a difference?" Charlotte set her music on the piano stand and spread it open, smoothing her hands over the slightly wrinkled pages.
"Ye-es?" Jack frowned. "Yes. The former boy band star is part of me, but not all of me. And not even a very big part these days."
"You're still handsome enough for it," she told him, twisting to ruffle a hand through his dark hair. "Though I haven't heard you sing lately."
He leaned into her touch, catlike, rubbing his head against her hand. "I sing. In the shower."
Charlotte laughed. "Oh, Jack."
"I do," he said, twisting around to look up at her, dark eyes serious. "I haven't... given anything up."
"Jack..." She trailed off. What could she say? She hadn't been home for any of it, first away at college and then teaching in Massachusetts, before that went down the tubes. She'd watched Jack on TV, of course, and gone to his concerts when she could, and of course they'd talked, but it wasn't the same as being there, seeing his life fall apart. She'd been too preoccupied with her own collapse to notice.
"I mean it," Jack said, and smiled-- a real smile, unforced. "It was going to happen anyway, even if I hadn't flamed out. Eddie wanted a solo career and Nick wanted to go back to college, and then the whole thing with our manager. I don't think I lost anything, and I don't miss it."
He had lost something, just like her. Charlotte knew he had, and he knew she knew, but if he didn't want to talk about Ricky she wouldn't bring it up. "You do sound good," she said, instead.
"Baby, I always sound good," Jack said, and tossed the script aside. "Too weird for my taste. You miss my singing, Carlita? Scoot over."
"Don't you have work to do?" she asked, but she was already moving over, making room.
He got to his feet and sat next to her, all gangling limbs and flashing smile. "Who needs work when I can sing with my sister?"
"People who have rent to pay," she retorted, but folded up her music and set it atop the piano. They'd both lost something, but not this, at least. Not each other. "What do you want to sing?"
Jack slung an arm around her shoulders. "Pick something. We'll play it by ear."
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I love that they're picking up the pieces again after a bad fall. It sounds like they've got a sweet relationship. Nice touch!
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Thank you!
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