~
...losing my dirty, wayward archaeologist...
~
"What the hell is up with you?" Jack asked, trying not to snap.
"Nothing," Daniel mumbled through his food.
Jack breathed out a heavy sigh as he watched Daniel stuff his mouth with spaghetti. The one weird thing remaining after this whole nightmare had been Daniel's sudden increase in appetite. On a normal day, Jack had to get Daniel to eat more than one meal a day. Breakfast was usually it. His caffeine highs after that usually took care of his appetite. At lunch (if they were at home, that was), Daniel would pick at his food, nibbling here and there, and at dinner, Jack found it was sometimes hard to watch the man not eat. But then there were the downtimes or days off, where Jack would cook. Daniel would eat then. Just as he was now. Problem was, he wasn't just eating. He was stuffing himself.
"I know I get on you about eating, Daniel, but isn't this overdoing it? That's your third plate." Daniel's eyes rested on him as he chewed, swallowed, then took a drink from his glass of iced water. Jack wasn't sure Daniel was going to say anything until he opened his mouth and spoke.
"You always make great spaghetti. What's wrong with me eating it?"
"Nothing, Daniel, but you seem to be...you know...substituting the food for other stuff."
"Oh, so now, now you're going to headshrink me? What happens when I do that to you?"
Jack made a noise in his throat. "All I'm saying is that you're not going to feel good later if you keep doing that. For cryin' out loud, you had an ice cream sundae earlier when we stopped through Dairy Queen. Damned thing was bigger than a chef's salad."
"Oooh, a chef's salad sounds good," Daniel replied thoughtfully as he stopped chewing and contemplated. "I wonder if that deli down the street is still open."
"For fuck's sake, Daniel..."
Daniel knew what he was doing. He also knew what Jack was doing. Baiting him, trying to make him talk. It might just work, he thought, but he wanted to eat, and right now, eating was better than getting drunk, which is what he really wanted to do. After he'd come down from that adrenaline high he'd been working on all throughout his captivity, he'd been positively silent - a rarity for him, he knew. He'd realized that yet another person he'd known was taken away from him. Sure, Robert Rothman had been a royal pain in the ass, but the man was extremely intelligent when it came to analyzing fossils and buried remains of civilizations. And now...he was gone. Forever. Like Shau're. Daniel had wondered just who the hell would be next. He didn't have any other 'old' friends working at the SGC, so at least that counted for something.
"Jack, you're always on me about eating," he finally responded. It wasn't the best he could do to change the subject and he knew it.
"This isn't what I meant and you damned well know it."
Daniel could see Jack was getting angrier with him, but he felt indulgent. He knew why Jack was being that way, and in all honesty, he loved the man for it. When Jack O'Neill got on someone about something, it always meant that he cared. Often times too much, especially for Hammond's peace of mind, but Jack's needling - whomever the victim - always worked. Daniel's stubbornness though, had him thinking about making Jack work for it, even though he knew it wasn't necessary. He could talk about what happened. He could...purge his feelings. But...what the hell was the point? He'd only return to the same frustratingly sad place.
He finished his garlic bread with the last bite of spaghetti and had to admit to himself that he was definitely full now. So full, he was quite certain that he'd waddle when he walked. Testing that theory, he got up to go take a leak. Jack watched him, letting him go without a word. As Daniel moved down the hall, he shook his head to himself. Nope. No waddling. But his stomach felt three sizes too big. This eating thing was a hindrance. Finishing, he returned to the kitchen and as he passed Jack to retake his seat, Jack reached out and grabbed his forearm. He stood up and looked at Daniel intently. Daniel sighed and turned to him.
"What do you want me to say, Jack?"
"Anything. I just don't want you holding it in. I know you feel like crap, Daniel. How do you think I feel?" His eyes darkened then, but with the more negative emotions; nothing sexual. Daniel's heart tugged for him.
"I don't blame you, Jack. I mean, I know it wasn't easy for you to do what you did, but you did what you had to do. Any of us would have. If it had been me, I would have had no choice but to kill him. And Robert would have wanted me to. He was never a self-sacrificing kind of guy but he did have a big heart..." and Daniel allowed a tiny smile to show at the corner of his mouth. "Even if he was a bit of an asshole to you guys."
Jack sighed and looked up at the ceiling as he pulled Daniel into his arm, hugging him gently as he rubbed his back. "He just didn't like the military. And I know I said it before, but...I'm sorry."
"I know," Daniel replied sadly. "I'm gonna miss him."
"I know," Jack said gently, which Daniel followed with a burp, making Jack snort.
Daniel laughed a bit sheepishly. "Not bad manners, Jack, just good food."
Jack pulled away and looked at him. "Burping isn't bad manners. It's a normal function. Whoever decided otherwise was definitely soft in the head."
"Yeah, Victorians. What're you gonna do with them?" Daniel replied rhetorically. He turned and picked up his plate, then moved to the sink to wash up. Jack moved behind him and pulled a beer from the fridge. He took the opener off the counter, pried off the cap, then after taking a long drink, leaned against the counter and watched Daniel wash. Or more accurately, watched Daniel's ass and back muscles flex as he moved.
Daniel looked over his shoulder and found Jack directly behind him, bottle at his lips, nursing it as he stared...at his ass. He smirked. Jack seemed to like his new white, Egyptian cotton trousers. The sales clerk had said they hugged his ass, which was exactly why Daniel had gotten them. Although, they were also very breathable when the weather got hot in Colorado Springs. Jeans weren't that breathable...unless you purposely made air vents. Daniel didn't care for that. He liked to look neat, although not necessarily clean. All those years of wearing very cheap clothing had developed an awareness in him. He didn't like to look untidy, and holes in jeans definitely did that, fad or no fad.
Even if his taste in clothing was rather...geeky...he did know how to look well groomed. It had been embarrassing, though, to get lectured on proper clothing by Jack, Sam, and Janet. And recently, Cassie had started in on him. Finally ridding himself of that tweed jacket was a start but he simply didn't see the need to get rid of his plaid shirts. Like the blue and white one he had on now, which he knew Jack liked out of all of his plaid shirts. He normally wore them tucked in, but with these new pants, they'd only bulge and look unkempt, so this one was untucked, and apparently not long enough to hide what Jack was very definitely looking at.
Daniel smiled at him as his lover caught his gaze, then turned back to his task, rinsing and setting the plate and silverware into the drainer. He shut off the water, then dried his hands with a paper towel as he rested against the sink, his eyes on the man across from him. Jack took a slow sip from his beer, returning the gaze.
"What's on your mind, Jack?" Daniel asked, showing a soft smile. "Thinking of more ways to get me to vent?"
Daniel moved to the cupboard and poured himself a two-fingered shot of JackDaniel's, waiting for Jack to answer. Jack didn't. He simply watched him, sipping his beer. Ahhh, Daniel thought. Tactic number two. Try to get Daniel off-balance by not talking. Jack's favorite thing to do - some of the time. Okay, so it was talking or sex, though usually those were combined. However, it wasn't the sort of talking Jack wanted, was it? Well, not right now.
"Nothing to say apparently," he goading as he added the ice to his glass. Jack's brow lifted slightly as he took another sip and Daniel snorted, shaking his head as he left the kitchen and went for the couch in the living room.
Jack followed him slowly, watching. It always amazed him how well the man was built - and how much the clothes he wore hid that fact. Except for his jeans, which he wore infrequently now, and this new pair of pants. They were very nice. They brought out his ass quite nicely, which brought out the sexual hunger in Jack; a hunger that Jack had been suppressing ever since that moment when he'd cut those rope bonds from Daniel's wrists. Jack really hated it when his desires - and kinks - crept up on him at the most inappropriate of times. He hadn't let himself think about it and had locked the images and feelings away for later consideration.
Now...it was later. He could think about it, and with the full force of his imagination, too. Daniel, in those BDU pants shoved around his ankles; his hands bound and his body writhing with need underneath him as he slowly fucked him. That particular image had Jack's cock stiffening appreciably, and he groaned to himself for making himself that way. Daniel wasn't in the mood, and probably wouldn't be in the mood for the next few hours or so.
Jack sighed, observing Daniel as the man sat on the couch, picked up a magazine and started flipping through it while he sipped on his drink. He thought about Daniel's strange mood. He'd actually eaten (stuffed himself) instead of having his usual round of rough sex, something which Jack loved. As he'd told Daniel, the food had been a substitute. Frankly, Jack hoped they'd have that rough sex later, feeling that Daniel could use it. Besides, Daniel in alpha male mode turned Jack on more than anything; along with the sexual games they played to wind the other up. Jack knew damned well that half of the wind ups and arguments on base were nothing more than foreplay. Long, drawn out foreplay. The end result was always...so sweet.
He moved over to the couch and sat down at the opposite end, his customary place. He was already shoeless so he placed his bare feet on the coffee table, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. After a few minutes of scanning the cable menu, and finding nothing on worth watching, he surfed to one of the audio music channels.
"So, feel like watching a movie?" he asked.
Daniel looked up from the article he wasn't reading, then tossed the magazine back on the table. "Sure. Anything in mind?"
"Maybe. What are you in the mood for?" Jack asked as he got up and went to his movie collection, a mixture of DVDs and video tapes.
Daniel shrugged as he toed off his shoes and propped his socked feet on the coffee table. "I don't know. No comedies though. I'm not in the mood for them. Unless it's Young Frankenstein."
Jack shook his head. "Can't anyway. You borrowed it. It's at your loft."
"Oh...right."
"And a comedy is just what you need."
Daniel looked doubtful. "Well...what are you in the mood for..." and as Jack looked over at him - sending a very specific dark look at him - Daniel unnecessarily smoothed out his pants over his thigh as he smirked. "Besides that."
Jack slowly moved his eyes away, returning to look at his movie titles. At least Daniel had the clue now. A very definite clue. It would build slowly, over whatever movie they'd watch. Jack had a feeling that Daniel wasn't interested in watching a movie. He simply wanted the company. He could understand that. Hairy missions always made Jack crave company. Well...almost always.
He looked over the titles he had. "Well, there's all sorts of stuff here, Daniel. Drama, suspense, scary stuff..."
"That's only scary the first time. After that, it's suspense."
Jack snorted. "Okay then. Do you feel like watching something violent?"
"Jack, all your movies are violent," Daniel grinned.
Jack considered that, looking at the titles. "Okay. Then what kind? A monster flick? There's Alien and its sequel, Aliens. There's Predator, An American Werewolf, Species, or the tamer, silly ones, like that 1930's version of Frankenstein..."
"No, too amusing."
"Ohhh-kay. What about adventure films? There's The Mummy, and The Mummy Returns?"
Daniel grinned, then rolled his eyes. "Still too..."
"Amusing, yes, I know. I'm running out of titles here."
"There's always the old standby."
"The Matrix?" Jack asked.
"Yeah."
"I thought you said you were tired of it?"
"Yeah," Daniel sighed, "but I like the story and the special effects."
"So that?"
"No. What else?"
Jack grumbled to himself and he continued to look. "Maybe we should run down to the video store and browse the collections."
Daniel shook his head. "I don't feel like moving. Just stick anything in there."
Jack grinned at the double entendre. Or rather, at the unintended double entendre. He looked over at Daniel - who appeared to look innocent - and wondered if it was an act, if Daniel had said what he'd said on purpose. Jack couldn't tell.
"Okay, so how about suspense then? There's Mission: Impossible?"
"The first one?"
"Yeah," Jack drawled, "or I'd have said Mission: Impossible II."
"Right."
"C'mon, Daniel. Let's watch a comedy. We could use a laugh. How about the other old standby?"
"There are a few. Refresh my memory."
Jack held up the DVDs. "One...Clue."
Daniel's mouth twitched, but not enough to Jack's satisfaction.
"Two...Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
Daniel's mouth twitched more. "Okay, you win. But put in Clue first, then Python."
Jack grinned and put in the first DVD. "Want some popcorn?"
Daniel grimaced. "No...not right now."
"Peanuts?"
"Regular or the good ones like walnuts, pecans, cashews?"
"Sure...mixed...nuts."
Looking away, laughing softly, Daniel shook his head. "Okay, Jack," and he laughed again.
Jack grinned in triumph. "See, told you laughter was what you needed."
"You did, and don't gloat. It's unbecoming."
As he went to the kitchen to retrieve the peanuts, Jack tried to hide his grin and failed.
"Don't start, Jack," Daniel called out to him.
"What?" Jack asked as he returned sat down.
Daniel didn't reply. As the movie played, Daniel found that he did indeed need to laugh. Over the next hour and a half, the laughter became cathartic. At the ending words to the movie, "...I'm gonna go home and sleep with my wife," he and Jack snickered.
"Yeah right," Daniel said as he popped a cashew into his mouth. "Only because his wife really does have a dick."
Jack leaned against the arm of the couch and brought his foot up to nudging Daniel's thigh playfully. "Speaking of which..."
Daniel rested his head on the back of the couch and turned to look at his best friend. He knew what Jack was still trying to do, but for some reason, he still wasn't in the mood. He was, however, hungry again, and the peanuts only added to that replacement need. He ran his fingers over Jack's foot, then grabbed it, pulling it against his chest, and began to tickle.
Jack responded appropriately and howled. "Daniel!" he protested, pulling his foot and creating a tug of war as Daniel's fingers did their work. "Stop it!"
Grinning like a smug fiend, Daniel let go.
"Little fucker," Jack said with a half-scowl as he rubbed his foot.
Daniel sniggered and got up, heading for the kitchen.
"Where're you going?"
"Kitchen. I'm gonna grab those tortilla chips and make my homemade nachos. Use some of that mozzarella you have stashed, along with that sharp cheddar."
"Daniel, those are for the pasta dish tomorrow night," Jack protested as he got up and followed, mincing as his foot still felt as if it were being tickled.
"I know, but we can always get more tomorrow afternoon, right?" Daniel said as he opened the fridge and took out the salsa, green onions, and cheese.
Jack sighed and took the onions from him. "Fine," he said, glaring mildly as Daniel looked victorious. Daniel started to shred the cheese for the chips as Jack began to cut up the onions. "You know, you're still substituting."
Daniel should have known that Jack wouldn't leave it alone. He was Jack. "I'm fine, Jack. Just let me deal with all of this in my own way."
"That's the problem, Daniel. Your usual way isn't what we're doing."
Daniel rolled his eyes and turned to him. "Well, if you'd nearly been someone's dinner, would you be in the mood for sex?"
"Daniel, I'm almost always in the mood for sex. So're you."
"That's not the point," and he paused. "Or maybe it is, but I mean, the operative word there is almost. Unfortunately, this is one of those 'almost' times."
Jack was silent while he finished chopping up the onion. He grabbed another shredder and started on the cheddar. He wanted to ask Daniel something, as a niggling little fear started worrying at him. He scolded himself, telling himself to forget it, that it was selfish of him for thinking it, but he was mainly worried about Daniel, not wanting him to become permanently affected by what had happened.
Daniel looked over at him as he finished shredding the mozzarella and recognized that worrying look. "What is it, Jack?"
Jack looked up, slightly startled out of his thoughts. He shrugged. "I was just..." He sighed hugely then. "I know you're not in the mood, but...do you think what happened will affect your sex life...permanently?" He grimaced. "Sounds selfish, I know, but I'm worried about you."
Daniel wiped his hands, then walked up behind Jack and put his arms around his waist. He kissed the nape of his neck, then nuzzled. "I've already been thinking about that, Jack. No, I don't think it's permanent. I can get in the mood, and I can get it...you know...up. Trouble is...I feel...well...it's not because Robert died. It's because of the unas. I was treated as if I were some sort of game. It was hard. For nearly twenty hours I was tethered, tied up..."
"That's what I'm worried about Daniel," Jack said as he turned his head slightly, though he still continued grating the cheese. "It's what happened...being tied up. I know you love to...you know...and I didn't want it messing up your life. I can't help but worry about how it's going to...bother you."
Daniel smiled against his neck as Jack spoke the words. Jack loved tying him up just as much as he loved being tied up. They were already past the point where Daniel could tie up Jack, and if Jack could get over his fear, then so could he...if there was one. "Um...well, maybe we could test that later." As he said the words, he felt a lurching in his stomach. He suddenly realized that there was something to what Jack feared.
He stilled, thinking, and realized that if he did have a fear that not, as yet, caught up with him, he needed to get over it and fast. God knows how many missions they'd be on in the future where he'd be bound or tied. If he didn't get over this, or get a handle on it at least, then he could do something off-world that could get them all killed. He blinked at the severity of his realization and backed up. Jack turned, and at seeing the look on Daniel's face, he knew immediately what was up.
"Listen...you're the strongest man I know, Daniel. You'll get over this, and I'll help...any way I can. Okay?"
"Later on, I want you to tie me up," Daniel said, his voice shaking a bit, his eyes staring at the floor.
"Are you sure?" Jack asked, trying to read him further but couldn't.
"If it's done in a controlled way...what I mean is, if it's a loving act, then it'll help...a lot." He raised his eyes and looked at Jack very seriously. "And you can't do what you usually do, Jack. Although later on, another time, yes. But not this time."
Jack knew what he meant. No prolonged teasing, no dragging it out, and no strong-armed roughness. He nodded and pulled Daniel to him, combing his fingers through his hair before cradling the back of his head. He kissed him softly, then took Daniel's hands in his and ran his thumbs gently over the light bruises on his wrists. "Deal."
As the movie finished, Daniel stretched lazily over the length of the couch, digging one foot under Jack's back and laying the other over his stomach. His reached out for the coffee table to dip a finger into the tub of sour cream. He then brought a fat dollop of the white stuff to his lips, his eyes on Jack - Jack's eyes on him. As he placed his finger in his mouth, the sour cream spilled onto his chin. Jack groaned, then moved between Daniel's legs, lying over him.
As Daniel sucked on the end of his finger, Jack looked down at his chin, and the remnant of the cream still there.
"You know what that looks like, don't you."
Daniel moaned assent around his finger.
"You're starting this tease pretty early."
"Uh huh," Daniel said around his finger.
"You do know what it does to me when you do that, don't you?"
"Oh yeah."
Jack leaned down, pushing Daniel's finger out of the way to lick the drop of sour cream from his chin. The action was erotic, magnetic. And Jack couldn't stop there. His tongue travelled up over Daniel's lips and pushed between them. He was met with an agile, hungry tongue and for a while, they did nothing but kiss and caress; fingers ran over warm skin; taut, hard muscle; and clothes that were in the way of feeling more.
Breaking away, Jack lifted up, then pushed off the couch and held out his hand. "C'mon. Let's go get more comfortable."
When they reached the bedroom, Daniel was already hard, just as Jack was. They stripped in front of the other, their eyes looking over lightly glistening skin. As Jack started for the bed, Daniel stopped him.
"What is it?" Jack asked, but he had a feeling anyway.
Daniel opened one of the small drawers to Jack's dresser and withdrew two old, worn dark blue silk ties. He handed them to Jack. "Here."
"You still want to--"
"Yes."
As they lay on the bed, Daniel maneuvered himself onto his back and pulled Jack on top of him. Jack leaned down, kissed him lightly, then more firmly, more passionately. The ties were set aside and his hands began to map out every one of Daniel's muscles, partly caressing, partly massaging. He latched onto a nipple and Daniel arched, combing fingers through his hair, encouraging more contact. Jack sucked hard, worrying the nipple between his teeth, and Daniel sucked in a breath.
"Again," Daniel whispered, so Jack latched onto the other and repeated his ministrations. The sensitivity of his nipple between Jack's teeth sent sparks through him and in response, he spread his legs, then grabbed the ties. "Now, Jack."
Moving off to one side of him, Jack took the ties. "How?" he asked. Daniel silently held his wrists together, his breathing heavy and erratic with need. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Jack tied them about Daniel's wrists, but not tightly at first.
"Tighter, Jack."
Jack frowned. "You're wrists are bruised, Daniel. I'm not making them worse."
"You won't. Tighter. Please."
Jack recognized the look in Daniel's eyes and knew he meant it. He untied them and tightened the half-knot. When he went to tie a bow, Daniel shook his head.
"In a knot, Jack."
"Daniel--"
"In...a...knot."
With a deep sigh, he tied the knot. It was then that Jack noticed that Daniel was shaking...ever so slightly. Frowning, he looked into Daniel's eyes and saw the touch of fear blending with his desire. He looked down and also saw that Daniel's erection had softened a bit.
"Daniel, maybe we shouldn't..." and he went to untie the bonds but Daniel lifted his hands over Jack's head, securing them behind his neck, then wrapped his legs behind his thighs.
"Yes...we should," he said roughly and pulled Jack down for a feverish kiss. He thrust upward, grinding and rubbing his body against Jack's, his cock against Jack's. In moments, he was hard again. "Told you," he whispered and kissed Jack back even harder.
Daniel's actions stirred Jack's blood. He ground into him, urged to continue by the moaning in Daniel's throat. His hands travelled everywhere, as they had on the couch, but now there was no clothing to obstruct his need to feel his lover - strong and alive in his hands.
Daniel suddenly broke their kiss, gasping as he moved his lips down Jack's neck to bite and lick, drawing his tongue up and over his chin. He planted his feet on the mattress and spread his legs invitingly. "Fuck me," he whispered harshly.
"First things first," Jack whispered back as his hand reached between them and took hold of his lover's cock. Daniel's reaction was to growl as he nipped his way along Jack's chin and jaw. Jack pulled away, looking down into Daniel's eyes as he started to apply a rhythm, using the pressure and caress that Daniel loved. Daniel started to close his eyes.
"No, look at me, Daniel," Jack told him softly.
Daniel kept his eyes open, staring up into Jack's. The pleasure Jack was pulling from him was exquisite and as he stared into those wonderful smoky eyes, his need soared.
"Now," he said, and Jack knew what he meant. He wanted to take things slower, but he remembered Daniel's warning not to draw things out. Not like this. Jack also knew that this bondage play would have to be repeated over the next few weeks. Not that he minded that, but he would rather it be spontaneous, unplanned, and with no psychological motivations behind it. For now, he'd do what Daniel asked of him, but making sure that Daniel knew he was safe...loved. He pulled upward, slowing his stroke, and rubbed firmly over the glans of Daniel's cock, all the while watching the pleasured expression on his lover's face.
"Just a little more, Daniel," he said, his voice deep and full of passion.
Daniel bit at his bottom lip, loving what Jack was doing to him, for him. But suddenly, his breathing hitched, and not in pleasure. He felt panic. He needed to touch, to feel, and that need was so overpowering that he started to shake, resenting that his hands were tied. He pulled them over Jack's head, presenting them to him as he ran his fingers through the hairs on Jack's chest.
Jack noticed the shaking and stilled his hand. "What is it?"
"Untie me. I need to touch you."
Without question or hesitation, Jack removed his hand from Daniel's cock and began to untie the knot. Daniel quickly freed himself, tossed the ties aside, then took Jack's hand and placed the fingers around his cock. Without a word, he then ran his hands over Jack's chest, pinching his nipples, then sliding them around to Jack's back. Keeping his eyes locked on Jack's, his hands slid down over Jack's ass, clamping down firmly. Jack groaned as if he was going to say something but Daniel lifted his head, cutting off his words with a kiss. He shook his head.
"Shhh," Daniel said, the sound barely registering. He reached around and took hold of Jack's cock and began the rhythm he knew drove Jack wild. His eyes told Jack everything he needed, wanted. Matching his touch, Jack pleasured him in return. Their bodies began to rock, their hips thrusting; first slowly, then increasing in speed. All the while, they stared into the other's eyes, watching the sweat form and their skin flush.
No words. Only the sound of breathing as their mouths dropped open to pant and gasp...faster and faster. Their need climbed as their hands increased in pressure and speed, creating the friction they required. Seeing the look in their eyes as their orgasms approached was what they needed. Jack came first, gasping Daniel's name as he spilled his semen over his lover's fingers. The strained expression and wide eyes brought Daniel his own release - a powerful one. Calling out something close to Jack's name, he arched, his head dropping back as his cock spent its thick, warm fluid over Jack's hand and onto his stomach. They grasped the other with the free hands, holding on as the intense shudders passed through them.
Leaning over him, Jack locked his lips over Daniel's, shoving his tongue into his mouth. Daniel groaned, eagerly twining his tongue around Jack's. For a long moment, they kissed as their bodies calmed, then Daniel broke away and rolled them onto their sides.
"Thanks."
Jack stared at him, trying to read his lover. "For what? We didn't get very far with what you wanted."
"We did, Jack."
"Okay, then you're welcome," Jack replied, still not sure it was enough.
"But we're not done," Daniel said, a tiny smile forming. A teasing one.
Jack grinned back, seeing the light of mischievousness, of desire, in Daniel's eyes. "Want me to get the sour cream?"
Daniel laughed deep into his throat and rolled on top of his lover. "And grab the rest of the nachos, while you're at it?" he asked suggestively, staring down into Jack's sated face.
Jack looked up, searching his lover's face. He saw the attempt to forget the scare, to mask it with humour - something he was very familiar with. He wiped his hand on the sheet, then brought them both up to cradle Daniel's head. His expression was suddenly serious.
"You have no reason to hide the fear. You conquered it."
Daniel frowned. It had only been one day, but he knew the reaction to what happened would catch up with him. "How do you figure?" he asked doubtfully.
Jack softened his worried expression and rolled them back to their sides. "I know it hasn't caught up with you yet, but...you need to remember, you saved yourself. You fought your fears and saved yourself."
"You helped, Jack. I didn't do that by myself."
"The hell you didn't. You were gone for a day. In that time, you managed to make friends with an Unas. An Unas, Daniel."
Daniel winced a bit, dismissing Jack's words. "Nothing conscious, Jack. Survival mode only."
Jack frowned and pushed up on his elbow. "That's bullshit. You said you pulled an Androcles and the Lion bit. Survival mode doesn't cover that..." and he paused as Daniel looked away from him. "Well, on second thought, it does when you're Daniel Jackson." Daniel looked up at him and Jack ran his fingers through his slightly damp hair. "The fear of being captive will fade. I know you'll be fine. You have to know that, too. You won the day, Daniel." He paused, waiting for Daniel to say something, but the man only nodded. He lifted Daniel's chin, making him look at him. "I almost lost you again. That fear is always plaguing me. If I can get through that, you can get through this."
Daniel heard him, knowing he was right, but he still didn't feel that he'd done anything extraordinary. He'd been scared, but he knew that Jack, Sam and Teal'c were coming after him and that certainty helped. He also felt guilt - for scaring Jack into several more grey hairs. He drew a finger down his lover's cheek, then up into the hairs at his temple - the grey hairs. "I'm sorry to have scared you."
Jack rolled his eyes and caught Daniel's hand in his. "It's just the way it is, Daniel. I'm always going to be scared of losing you."
Daniel's face clouded. "And me, too, Jack. Me, too."
This time, it was Jack who replaced the seriousness with a smile. "Now, let's finish those nachos and put that sour cream to good use."
Daniel grinned knowingly. "Well, we need to clean up first...unless you want to add this to our food list," and he rubbed his fingertips over the drying semen on their skin.
"Could get...interesting," Jack said, his eyes showing mischief.
"With you, Jack, it always is."