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captainsophiestark · 2 months ago

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The Right Choice

Jack Thompson x Reader

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Requested by @everyhazyday! Hope you like it, and thanks for the request!

Fandom: Marvel

Summary: Jack recently pissed off a reporter by spewing the same lies Vernon Masters was selling. But a lot can change in a few weeks.

Word Count: 3,297

Category: Angst, little bit of Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I huffed a sigh through the phone's reciever, keeping it pressed between my ear and shoulder as I scribbled away on my notepad. I'd almost broken the lead from pressing so hard—I needed to calm down.

"Are you sure?" I asked for the third time, putting extra emphasis on the words this time. One of my contacts, who'd never before steered me wrong, had officially found something I wasn't ready to believe.

"I'm sure," he replied. "Come on, have I ever led you astray before?"

I sighed again. "No, you haven't. It's just... I did an interview with this guy, like, a week ago. He just spewed a bunch of unbelievable lies and stuck to the same handful of lines no matter what I asked him. I'm finding it difficult to believe he had a change of heart."

"Maybe he was putting on an act the whole time. Undercover work or something."

I snorted. "I know that wasn't it."

"Well, fine. Take the information or don't. But I'm telling you, based on everything I'm hearing, he's gonna be one of your best shots at information to take this whole thing widely public."

"...Thanks for the tip."

We said our goodbyes, and I hung up. Normally, I would've been out the door almost as soon as my source had given me the address. I'd been chasing leads on this story for weeks now, and any break could make a huge difference. But this wasn't normal.

Last week, after getting wind of some corrupt dealings between very powerful people, I'd managed to track down Chief Jack Thompson of the SSR, who was believed to be at least tangentally connected to the group. Anyone I suspected of actually being in the group had managed to avoid me at every turn, but I'd tracked Thompson down to a fundraising event and cornered him for an impromptu interview. He'd been incredibly evasive, had brushed off everything I'd brought to his attention, and before I could really press him, Vernon Masters, a higherup with the war department, had swooped in to chase me off. Not a day later, the newspapers had been running stories exactly fitting the clues I'd seen pointing towards a cover up, which Thompson had so strongly denied.

I was furious. I'd already been planning to expose whatever underhanded business might have been happening, but after that night, I was determined to get concrete evidence and bring the whole damn thing down. I'd been working for the past few weeks to chase every possible lead, assemble every shred of evidence, and I was finally getting close to something airtight I could print. When one of my best sources called me with a tip for an interview to really seal the deal, I'd been ecstatic.

And then he'd said the name: Chief Jack Thompson with the SSR.

My plan until about ten minutes ago had been to never speak to that asshole again, until maybe we exchanged a few heated words when I was covering the downfall of this little group of corrupt men in power, him included. But supposedly, he'd not only had a change of heart; he'd had a change of heart so massive that he'd been key in taking down several of the group's most powerful members.

I sighed through my nose and scowled, but then a moment later, pushed myself upright and headed for the door. I was a reporter, dammit, and a good one. Whatever was going on with this guy, it was directly related to something absolutely huge. I couldn't just ignore it because I wanted to.

My source had pointed me to a dive bar in LA, which seemed an unusual place to find the Chief of the New York SSR. But, lo and behold, when I walked through the door I found him sitting alone at a table in the back corner, looking exhausted and absolutely miserable.

I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders and gripping my tape recorder a little tighter. I walked over with my head held high, but Thompson didn't even glance up from the drink he was nursing until I came to a stop right next to him.

His eyes scanned me, and when they got to my face, his expression soured. I started talking before he could tell me to get lost.

"I have some questions to ask you," I said, taking the seat next to Thompson without asking. If I'd asked, it would've given him an opportunity to say no.

To my surprise, Thompson just grunted. He didn't look at me, instead staring at the wall ahead as he sipped his drink. No doubt, something was different than the last time I'd seen him. The slick composure and arrogant posturing were gone, and he still hadn't said a word. He looked much rougher than the last time I'd seen him, with dark bags under his eyes, a crooked tie, and messy, limp hair. Something significant had clearly changed. Maybe my source had been right after all.

I cleared my throat, changing my posture and mentally changing my approach.

"So..." I started, rapidly trying to rework my opening questions to be a little less aggressive. "I heard you played a pretty big part in taking down some very bad people recently."

He snorted into his drink.

"And you believed it?"

"Not at first, no. But looking at you right now... I'm kind of starting to." Thompson glanced at me for the first time since I'd sat down, surprise and suspicion warring on his face. "My source has never led me astray before. Figured it was worth following up on. The minute I walked in here... I don't know, call it a reporter's instinct, but you seem different than the last time we talked."

He huffed a humorless laugh, leaning back in his chair and looking me over again.

"Great, so you believe I did my job as Chief of the SSR. That doesn't explain why you're here. What do you want?"

"I want an interview," I said. "I've been trying to take down this little corrupt power cabal for weeks now, and I'm finally getting close to having enough evidence to break a major story. An interview with the chief of the New York SSR might just put me over the line."

"What, are you hoping I'll run a list for you of everybody the SSR caught and everybody else we're keeping an eye on?"

"I mean, that'd be great."

"And what makes you think I want to help you?"

I shrugged. "If you're sitting and drinking alone in a bar because you put everything on the line to take down that corrupt group of assholes... I feel like our purposes are suddenly aligned."

He took a long, heavy sip of his drink, then sat forward again to look at me.

"I'm not really in the mood for an interview right now, sweetheart."

I leaned forward too, getting up close and personal with Thompson. I met his eyes and let my posture and tone make my point.

"Look, I get that you're having a rough night or whatever. But unless you feel confident that you got every last person even a little bit involved with this group, they're still out there. And they're going to keep pulling strings and causing problems until somebody stops them."

"So what do you want me to tell you?" he demanded, breaking in. "Classified information? I can't share that-"

"Fine, so just give me something. I work for one of the only papers in the city that's not going to kill this story before it gets a chance to get off the ground. If nothing else, you should realize how much this helps you."

"Helps me? Giving a reporter a story about the decision that might've destoryed just about everything in my life is going to help me? Dammit, I should never have entertained this. Just get lost."

"Destroyed- What are you talking about?" I demanded, my own spark of anger igniting to meet his. "Doing the right thing has destroyed your life? Holy shit, I knew I shouldn't have come down here. I knew you were part of that group-"

"I am not a part of that group."

"Well then by all means, explain to me how taking them down could have possibly destroyed things for you! You did something good and helped protect our world, and you're in here drowning your sorrows and regret! I bet it was your only play, huh? The group was on the brink of going down and taking you with them, so you cut your losses and betrayed every single one of them to save your own skin-"

Thompson shot out of his seat with so much force that the chair tipped over and landed hard on the floor. He didn't even bother to finish his drink as he stormed out of the bar. I scowled, then grabbed my tape recorder and quickly followed after him.

By the time I managed to catch up, he'd already taken a left turn down an alley to the side of the bar. I sprinted after him, and when he heard my footsteps, he sped up. Still, I managed to catch him. I grabbed his arm, but barely managed to get out a "Hey-" before he whirled around, a fierce scowl on his face.

"Why won't you just get lost? You're not getting your stupid interview, so-"

"No! I don't care, I'm not letting this go! I work at the last paper in the damn city that'll actually let me pursue this story, and if we don't do something about it now, I'm sure that'll change! Especially now that you know I'm not letting this go, but I'm not gonna be scared or chased off or-"

"I'm not a part of the group!" he shouted, his composure completely snapping. I kept my face neutral, but shifted my tape recorder in my pocket to make sure I caught every word of this, whatever it was. "Vernon Masters was an old family friend, and I let him lead me along like an idiot for way too fucking long, okay? The SSR is a war time agency, as he pointed out, and we're no longer at war! Which makes me the captain of a sinking ship."

He closed his eyes and took a long breath, and I frowned. When he finally opened his eyes again, he was staring straight up at the sky and shaking his head.

"Nobody's gonna want to work with the guy who took down one of the highest-ranking members of the war department. Nobody's gonna see the value in keeping the SSR, either. Once this ship goes down, I'm going down with it. And I have no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do about it."

My frown deepened, and I took a half-step closer to Thompson. He didn't look at me, but he didn't take off either.

"...What makes you think doing the right thing is going to cost you your career?"

He snorted. "Nobody wants a rat in their organization. Even a noble rat."

"Who the hell is calling you a rat? Not to kick you when you're down, but you were a rat when you were working with Masters and anybody else invovled in the shady shit. Not now."

Thompson's gaze finally dropped to meet mine. He shook his head, a bitter smile on his face.

"People in power don't tend to feel that way. The people who got me this job, the ones who'd be able to get me another one when the SSR goes down... none of them feel that way."

"Thompson, you can't know that-"

"Oh yes I can. Believe me, you might not have gotten your story to print yet, but the news of what I did is making its rounds. You should've heard the things my father-"

He broke off sharply, his jaw clenching and his stare returning to the wall behind me. My heart melted as the last of my anger disappeared, and reached out to rest a gentle hand on Thompson's arm again. He didn't move, and I wasn't sure if that was a positive or a negative.

"Your dad's the one causing the regret," I said. I didn't bother to phrase it as a question, since the answer was obvious. "He's the one trying to tell you taking down Masters and the rest of that group was a mistake."

Thompson shook his head. When he spoke, the words came out sharp and short, like he could barely keep it together.

"Called me himself a couple hours ago to remind me what a disappointment I am. Vernon Masters was a good family friend, and so are a lot of guys like him. I... I know taking them down was the right thing. I'm not an idiot, they didn't have me fooled for long. And I've worked my ass off to never be a coward again. But... I think the cost of this whole thing is going to be a lot higher than I realized. I might've done something good, but I'm pretty sure I just blew up everything else in the process."

As soon as the last word was out, it was like Thompson collapsed in on himself. His face was tight as he drooped, his shoulders curving in. I hesitated for a second. I did not feel qualified to try to comfort this guy, but there was also no one else around. I took a deep breath and stepped even closer to him, moving my hand to his shoulder. He looked up at me with hollow eyes.

"Alright, look... learning what I've learned about this corrupt group, yeah, there's probably more of them in power somewhere. And they probably wouldn't want you in any position to do to them what you did to Masters and his lackeys. But that's exactly why other people, especially the public, would want you in whatever position best enables you to catch the bad guys again. A good man in a position of power is a rare thing, and there are a lot of people who would campaign and fight for it."

Thompson scoffed. "I don't know that I count as a good man."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please. You know damn well I wouldn't be saying that to you if it weren't true, I hated your guts when I first met you. Besides, you said yourself you're not an idiot. Don't buy into the horseshit your father or anyone else is selling."

Thompson's eyes searched my face, and I noticed a little more life in them. Nothing remarkable, but now he was more engaged and curious than I'd seen him at any other point tonight.

"Not to bring this back to my article, since that seemed to set you off pretty badly last time, but... if you wanted to give me an interview, I'd be happy to make sure my story makes a point of how badly the public should be wanting and pushing for you to continue in some government agency's leadership. Even if you don't want to give me an interview, actually. Although I have to say, I don't know I agree with your father or Masters about the SSR no longer being needed. There's a ton of weird shit like frozen lakes and apparently alien technology floating around, and I can't think of any other organization that seems equipped to handle that."

The faintest hint of a smile appeared on Thompson's face, but then a moment later, it morphed back into a furious scowl. He pulled a step away from me.

"I already gave you everything you wanted, didn't I?" he asked, his tone laced with disgust. "You had a tape recorder in the bar. I'd be willing to bet you still have it going."

My silence must've been answer enough. After a moment, Thompson shook his head, a deep, hurt scowl on his face. He marched away from me, and I hesitated. Maybe I should be including myself in the 'good person' debate for it, but after a moment, I made the right choice.

"Wait!" I called, running after Thompson. This time, he didn't stop, even when I grabbed hold of his arm. He yanked it from my grip, so I ran around him, stopping in the mouth of the alley to block his path. He shook his head, the dark glare still in place.

"You need to get the hell out of my way-"

I didn't let him finish before pulling the recorder out of my pocket and tossing it to him. He caught it out of reflex, then looked down at it, the frown now more one of confusion.

"You're right. I was recording. But in my defense, I thought I was going to get an impassioned admission of guilt for a bunch of bad shit. Not the personal stuff you gave me." Thompson looked up at me again, wary, but no longer furious. "The tape's yours, although I'd like the recorder back, please. Destroy it, or do whatever else you want with it. I won't print anything you told me in the alley."

"...Why?" he asked, clearly suspicious. I huffed.

"Because I'm a good person with ethics, dammit. Besides, your dad and all the people like him making you doubt what you did have nothing to do with the story I want to run. And I meant what I said. When I do get my story published, I'll make sure to make a point to the public about looking for people like you, who can do the right thing when it comes down to it. But... I'd still love a real interview, if you'd be willing to give me one. It doesn't have to be about anything more than the group you just took down."

Thompson just stared at me for a few long, long moments. I swear, I could see him warring with himself. I hadn't mentioned it, since it would work against me, but he must've realized that if he gave me my interview, he would lose any remaining chance at recapturing the support of his father and the other men like him. Still, after a painfully long wait, Thompson slowly nodded.

"Alright. Why not? I've already gone this far down the road. I guess I can do an interview, too."

I grinned. "Great. How do you feel about breakfast tomorrow? I'll buy, and you can give me my tape recorder back then."

A matching grin slipped onto Thompson's face, the first real smile I'd seen from him all night.

"Breakfast works. But I've got one other condition. I want dinner tomorrow night, and I'm buying."

I couldn't hold back a laugh. "Alright, at risk of sounding ridiculous... did you just ask me on a date?"

Thompson shrugged and took a step forward, the swagger from the first time I'd met him back and then some. This time, I didn't mind it quite as much.

"I did. You gonna say yes?"

I snorted and shook my head. "We're fifty-fifty on positive feelings towards each other when we meet up, and we're batting a thousand for yelling at each other. Let's just see how breakfast goes first, alright?"

Thompson shrugged, the grin still on his face. "Sure. We can do that. I'll pick you up from your office at... nine?"

I laughed again. "Fuck it. Sure. I'll see you then."

"I'll see you then," he said, giving me one last grin and an actual wink before he stepped around me, presumably heading to wherever he'd parked his car. I didn't move from the mouth of the alleyway for a few long moments as I processed everything that had just happened. A peaceful interview, a tenative friendship, and a possible date were three of the absolute last things I'd expected to result from tonight, and yet, here we were. Still, I couldn't help being hopeful for all three.

I'd have to remember to send my source a thank you basket. He'd never steered me wrong before, and he'd definitely maintained that reputation tonight.

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