**The Weight of the World**
Prompt: Jack harkness does not realise that he is sick untill he faints infront of his team. His team takes care of him
Jack Harkness had always been invincible in the eyes of his team. Time Agent, brave leader, flirt and fighter—he embodied charisma and resilience. Sure, he’d faced dangers that would wane lesser souls, but through it all, he wore his strength like armor. However, the weight of the world sometimes comes with subtle burdens that even the strongest can overlook.
On a particularly overcast day in Cardiff, Torchwood HQ brimmed with its usual mix of chaos and camaraderie. The team was buzzing with the promise of an unusual case: a rift in time, bringing forth odd anomalies that required immediate attention. Jack, ever enthusiastic, donned his signature leather coat, cracking jokes and ensuring the atmosphere remained light, even as the rain pattered on the windows.
But beneath this facade of vitality, Jack felt a strange heaviness in his chest. Dismissing it as fatigue from their recent missions, he pushed through, throwing himself wholeheartedly into the task. Gwen’s worried glance didn’t escape him, nor did Ianto’s usually unshakeable demeanor slip into concern. He brushed it off. After all, they were used to his risks, his thrill-seeking adventures that left him a little worse for wear.
The day wore on, and Jack increasingly felt dizzy, a sort of low hum of discomfort radiating through him. He straightened with determination, pushing away thoughts of illness or vulnerability. Instead, he focused on the mission at hand, barking orders with the same fervor he always did. But with every passing hour, the weight seemed to grow heavier, pressing down on him, slowly dimming the light of his enthusiasm.
“Jack, you good?” asked Toshiko, a note of concern lacing her voice as they gathered in the central hub to review their findings. She studied him intently, her eyes filled with both admiration and worry.
“Of course! Just a little tired from last night’s stakeout. I’ll bounce back after a good night’s sleep,” he laughed, cloaking his discomfort behind his charismatic smile.
“I think you should take a break,” Gwen suggested, setting her files aside. “You’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately.”
“Break? Who has time for that?” Jack winked, his bravado almost palpable as he waved her off. After all, the rift wouldn’t fix itself.
The clock ticked on, the oddities they were cataloguing became more chaotic, and Jack felt the world spinning slightly off-kilter. He closed his eyes for just a moment, feeling as though he were standing at the top of a roller coaster, about to plunge into the unknown. A tingling numbness spread through his limbs, but he took a deep breath and shook it off.
“I’m fine! Let’s keep pushing through,” he declared, louder than intended. The team exchanged worried glances, but Jack seemed oblivious to their concern. Turning back towards the screens, he didn’t notice how the room had tilted ominously.
Moments later, reality slipped away. He had no warning; it happened in the blink of an eye. One moment he was standing, ready to strategize, and the next, the ground rushed up to meet him with an unrelenting thud.
The world faded to black.
When Jack came to, he found himself staring into the concerned faces of his team. He blinked slowly, attempting to piece together the events that led him here. “What happened?” he croaked, his voice hoarse.
“You fainted, sir,” Ianto answered, a hand resting gently on his arm. There was an unusual softness in his demeanor, devoid of the usual teasing. “Don’t try to get up just yet.”
Jack attempted to push himself into a sitting position, but Ianto’s hand kept him still. “I’m fine. Really. Just a bit of a… momentary lapse,” he said, forcing a smile that hurt more than it helped.
“More like a serious scare,” Gwen interjected, her tone gentle yet firm. “You’ve been pushing yourself, Jack. We were all worried.”
“Worried?” Jack chuckled weakly, but the sound faded like smoke in the wind. The lingering dizziness was a reminder that perhaps he wasn’t fine at all.
“We need you to rest,” Toshiko insisted, her brow furrowed with concern. “Whatever has been going on with you—it’s affecting your ability to lead.”
“Exactly!” Gwen said, her hands placed on her hips, a usual posture of determination. “No more ‘I’m perfectly okay’ nonsense. You need to slow down, take care of yourself.”
The reality of his condition washed over him like a tidal wave. The fatigue, the moments of dizziness, all dismissed until the world decided to intervene. Perhaps he wasn’t as invincible as he thought. The irony was not lost on him; he had spent so long saving others, oblivious to the fact that he needed saving too.
“Alright, alright,” Jack relented, allowing Ianto to help him lean back against the couch. “I get it. I’ll take a break.”
The team’s expressions softened, their relief palpable.
“Glad to hear that,” Ianto replied softly. He fetched Jack a blanket and draped it over him. “You need to rest now. We can handle everything on our end.”
“Promise to keep me in the loop?” Jack asked, a hint of his trademark smile returning.
“Always,” Gwen assured him, reaching out to squeeze his hand.
“Just relax. We’ve got this,” Toshiko added, her face lighting up with an encouraging grin.
As Jack allowed the warmth of the blanket to wrap around him, he felt an unexpected comfort wash over him. His team was there—not just as colleagues, but as a family. They wouldn’t let him slip away, even when he didn’t realize he needed them the most.
And in that moment of vulnerability—allowing himself to lean into their support, Jack Harkness, the man who had outlived centuries, learned perhaps the most important lesson of all: it was okay not to be invincible.
With his team around him, Jack let the world settle, the weight slowly lifting. The rift could wait. For now, he was exactly where he needed to be.
