callmemajor | (no subject)

"Good," Maureen says, nodding. "Then I'll expect you both for supper, and I'll put some clean towels in your room, Evan." She glances between them as if to confirm something. "Unless you want me to make up the guest room?"

"No, clean towels will be fine, Ma," Lorne says. "We should probably get going though, if we're going to be back for supper."

Jack just smiles and murmurs, "Thank you," feeling there's nothing here he can add that won't make things more complicated.

"All right, then. You boys have fun," she says, leaning up to kiss Lorne's cheek. "And be careful."

"Thanks, Mom," Lorne says smiling and picking up a set of keys from the kitchen counter as he leads Jack out the door. "We will."

"Bye, Maureen," Jack says, giving her a little wave, and then murmurs to Lorne, "She's going to notice I don't have a car."

"Damn," Lorne mutters. "Well...hmm..." He thinks for a moment. "You could've taken the bus? I didn't say you drove."

"The bus works," Jack says, and then pauses to kiss Lorne because it suddenly feels like a long time since he has.

Lorne smiles into the kiss, holding Jack close for a long moment.

"C'mon," he murmurs. "Let's get you into the air."

Jack grins at him and gets into the passenger seat of the car.

Lorne starts the car and heads off down the dirt road leading away from his mom's house. "It's not going to be like the jumper," he says. "There won't be much for privacy, and we'll have to communicate through the radio."

"That's fine," Jack says. "Just like old times."

His fingers are twitching a little with memory right now. The planes he flew, of course, basically had a throttle, a horizon marker and a switch to raise and lower the wheels--and not much else.

Lorne hesitates for a moment before saying, "I can probably let you take over the controls for a while once we're up, if you'd like."

Jack looks at him and smiles. "That would be wonderful."

He reaches over to touch the back of Lorne's neck a moment.

Lorne beams back at him.

It's not far from his mom's house to the base, and it takes just a few minutes for them to get through security and for Lorne to clear the flight with his friend before they're shown to the locker room and given flight suits.

"It's flimsy, compared to the ones we had," Jack murmurs as he pulls on his. "What's this made of?"

[ooc: for reference]

"It's called Nomex," Lorne says. "It's flame-retardant. I think that's pretty much all the protection it's going to offer though."

[ooc: Very useful, thanks! :)]

Jack pauses, and then nods and continues pulling on the flight suit. The zipper gives him a moment of uncertainty--they still weren't common in his time--but he figures it out.

Lorne picks up two helmets and hands one to Jack. "Ready?"

"Yes," Jack says resolutely and puts the helmet on.

Lorne gives him a quick smile and leads him out to the tarmac. Perkins is there, waiting by an F-14 Tomcat.

Perkins smiles when he sees them and gives Lorne a few last minute instructions before leaving them to it. Lorne gestures for Jack to climb up the stairs to the cockpit first.

"Let me look at it a little first," Jack says and runs an admiring hand down the wing and under the belly like a rancher considering a stallion for stud.

Lorne smiles and leans on the stairs to watch him. "Take all the time you want," he says.

"She's a beauty, Evan," Jack says softly. "I almost want to ask you to take her up alone so I can see her in the sky first."

He grins at him. "But I'd rather be in the sky."

"Well, get in then," Lorne says, grinning. "You can watch some of the others going up after we're finished if you still want to."

More grinning, and Jack scampers up the stairs.

"Good god," he murmurs at the sight of the cockpit.

Lorne is right behind him, and he smiles at Jack's reaction. "It's less complicated than it looks. I promise."