Double drabble: Time to Change

[unfeathered]

I believe this is what they call a flashfic - came into my head this morning out of some thinking I'd been doing about my Jack/Nine fic.

Title: Time to Change (Double Drabble)
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Author: unfeathered
Character: Jack Harkness
Genre: Gen
Word Count: 200
Spoilers: The Parting Of The Ways
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary: His wrist computer is always the last thing he takes off…
Author’s Note: Jack's wrist computer swaps wrists between Doctor Who Season 1 and Torchwood Season 1. I got to wondering why.


Jack looks down at his bare wrists. He can't remember the last time they were both bare while he was fully dressed. His wrist computer is always the last thing he takes off, and he only takes it off to wash.

Or when the Doctor makes him.

Made him.

He looks down at it in his hands, his thumbs gently rubbing the soft, worn leather; the smooth, shiny face; the dull metal buckle. It's not what it once was. The Vortex Manipulator was irretrievably burnt out by the jump back to what was supposed to be Twenty-First Century Earth, and other bits don't work like they used to.

But then, Jack's not what he once was either.

He starts to put it back on, and stops. Reverses the movement and wraps it round his left wrist instead. Doing up the buckle is difficult with the wrong hand, and his right wrist feels naked and vulnerable without it.

He needs that right now.

Maybe he'll get a watch for his right wrist. When he can find one. Till then his wrist will be bare, a reminder of what he used to be.

And of what he is – whatever he is – now.

Comments

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I liked this.. but I'm going to critique it horribly... Wristwatches were invented by then (barely, but still..) and he's actually seen wearing the wrist comp on both wrists in DW S1 (due to an editing issue)

[unfeathered]

But I looked it up and everything - yeah, they were invented but not at all common. (Hmmm. Might change it to 'when he can find one'.)

And I didn't notice that - when did it swap wrists?

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

He scans one of the gas mask people (it's on his right) and then shows the hologram of the ambulance (and it's on his right)

[unfeathered]

So only once then? I can live with that. Oh, yes, and I remember thinking something looked wrong in that bit but couldn't work out why.

Anyway, have changed the invent bit now. Better? *g*

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

ooh yes, works wonderfully now!

[unfeathered]

Phew!

And Jack/Nine will be up in a minute... At last! *g*

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Does happy dance while waiting

[chatona.livejournal.com]

Oh, Jack.

Really. Someone so strong shouldn't make me want to hug and fuss over them, should they?

[unfeathered]

Somehow he brings that urge in all of us...

I don't expect he'd mind. Probably be a bit surprised, but I shouldn't think he'd mind. *g*

[chatona.livejournal.com]

He does, doesn't he? Must be a special talent *grins*

well. I should hope not :D

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

I never did get why it was ever on his right wrist ever - as Jack's definitely right handed using it left handed would have been très
And it doesn't help when even the BBC play fast and loose with cutting and pasting images :S

Made him
Oh I... just once? NO don't tell me *makes a note*

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

the missing word is *awkward*
not sure where that went *G*

[unfeathered]

Made him
Oh I... just once? NO don't tell me *makes a note*

Do you really mean that? 'Cos it's just a tense thing. Not an amount of times thing.

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

LALALALALLALALAL
NOT listening.....

Just let me do the.. with the thing first OKAY!?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

Hee--I was reading the header, got to the author's notes, and I was all, "How does she notice these things!?"

And then I read the fic. You had me at:
Or when the Doctor makes him.
Made him.

Ouch. Oh, and then the thoughts about what it was and what he was compared to what they are now--just heartbreaking, and so very well done!

[unfeathered]

I noticed it because I needed to know for my fic. And then I got confused because I'd thought it was his right wrist (because I'd been watching DW S1) but several TW pictures had it on his left and a watch on his right. So I researched... :-)

And the bit you've quoted is pretty much from my fic too. *g*

And thank you. It's so cool when things like this just flow out of your brain! :-)

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is so right.

[itsarift-thing.livejournal.com]

Yeah I'd begun to realise I hadn't come back far enough when I got your message :D

Oh god this missing week/writing porn thing is getting HUGE - at least I think it is - I have it in a Semagic window (I've had it for ages but not really ever used it before) so it's hard to tell :s

[unfeathered]

What's Semagic?

So are you going to let me explain about the 'makes him/made him' thing now? *g*

[itsarift-thing.livejournal.com]

Um I think I've touched on it in the debrief if it still isn't clear after that you can kick me again :)

[unfeathered]

OK, will do! *g*

[itsarift-thing.livejournal.com]

Oh Semagic is a client thing I've never really got on with them in the past but I thought I'd give it a shot...

[unfeathered]

OK, I'm obviously very dumb here but I'm still none the wiser...