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They weren’t together anymore. John had come to terms with that as best he could. They were working together because taking down this stereotypically evil space corporation was in both of their best interests. John could be professional. But Jack was making it so fucking hard as he wrapped an arm around John’s waist and smiled brightly.
“Oh, we were Agency sweethearts,” Jack bragged. John forced his face to stay pleasant, his posture to stay relaxed. They hadn’t discussed this when they’d forged their covers. But it made sense. John only wished Jack had asked him so he could have told him to fuck off before they were in the lion’s den.
“The Agency thought he would be able to control me, but he was always wrapped around my little finger,” John purred, leaning slightly into Jack’s embrace. Not too far. He couldn’t let Jack think he wanted it. “But we moved on to bigger and better things. That’s why we’re interested in your work, of course.” Jack laughed, pressed a quick kiss to his temple. John was going to kill him. Slowly.
The company rep moved away, and Jack slipped his arm free, but they didn’t talk about it. They weren’t stupid enough to argue their cover in front of the whole gala.
“I’m going to scope out the bar,” Jack said lightly. John nodded.
“I’m going to chase down some of those canapés.” A brief nod in unison and they split up. This was the plan to begin with, although John was grateful for it. He could still feel the heat of Jack’s arm where it had leached through the thin fabric of his dress. It had been fun to get dressed up, to infiltrate a party. It still was. But Jack had made it so much harder to focus. And yet he seemed unbothered.
It pissed him off how much easier a time Jack seemed to have moving on. It only reminded him that Jack had never been as committed as John, never loved him on the same level. He wished he didn’t have a job to do, wished he could go to the actual bar. But he couldn’t let Jack see how he’d rattled him.
He’d identified and started to track three of the four targets when a woman approached him and asked for a dance. Unlike many parties of this caliber, there was an actual dance floor, and people were actually using it. John caught sight of Jack slipping out of a back hallway, and quickly agreed, letting her lead him onto the floor.
It was a style he’d had training in, thankfully, and so it was easy enough to follow her lead on autopilot, staring over her shoulder and finally managing to pin down his final target. As the song drew to a close, he saw Jack again. His expression was close to jealousy. For a moment, John let himself think it was real.
His partner sensed his disinterest and politely excused herself when the song finished. He thanked her, feeling a little bad, but then Jack was swanning up to him and offering his hand and he no longer cared. He took Jack’s hand, snaking his other hand to rest on Jack’s shoulder blade, and led him into the next dance before Jack could protest it.
He felt Jack stumble for a moment and laughed, but he picked it up and for a moment, it was just them and the dance. Jack followed his lead, doing as he asked. They moved naturally around the floor, and as they went, John nodded toward the targets he’d identified.
“Was the bar nice?” he asked lightly. Jack nodded. “Lovely.” So the escape route was clear. If he was doing this job alone, this was when he would start with the knife work. But Jack was still so good. No violence when it could be avoided. John did like this next step. “Anyone you’d like to take there?”
“You,” Jack murmured. He stopped hard as John tried to keep moving. John stepped on his foot, trying to stop, but then Jack cupped his face with one hand and led him with the momentum into a kiss. John felt dazed as he broke it. “But also I think the man with the bowtie. I think he’ll be the most amenable.” Always a show. Always a game. Jack was seducing him as well as he would be seducing their target.
“Of course,” John said, starting the dance again, slipping back into the motion of the floor. “Whatever you want, dearest.” It was sickly sweet on his tongue, true affection hidden in saccharine scorn.
If Jack noticed, he didn’t comment. Just danced until they’d crossed the floor toward their target, then broke away with his radiant smile. John forced his own, and followed after. It was a threesome they wanted to offer, not an affair after all. Anything to lead him someplace quiet and finish their work.
It would be over soon. For their target, and for himself. He knew Jack would never keep living a lie with him, as sweet as it tasted. Jack would go back to his professional distance, and John would pretend he didn’t want to keep kissing Jack in front of strangers and claiming it was all for the ruse. That wasn’t the lie he was allowed.
But for just this moment, he leaned into Jack’s side, pretended that they were golden and perfect. He couldn’t make Jack believe the lie, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t good at telling it.