The Sweet Course

by Cowardly Lion

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asc/clion/sweetcou.php
Summary: When it comes to Daniel, Jack is like a bee to honey. Sam gives the guys some advice.
Info: Written for the 2009 J/D ficathon. Request was for 1. first time 2. loud, wall/door/console can't-wait frottage or sex. Optional: humor/banter

Jack poked at the food on his plate and sighed. He really should be in a better mood. The banquet hall was decked out with festive garlands of purple flowers, there was plenty of good food and they were surrounded by allies on a planet that had been free of the Goa'uld for over a generation. Stargate Command and SG-1 in particular were held in high esteem here and they were treated as heads of state when they popped in for a diplomatic visit such as this. As usual, their hosts, Councilors Tuplo and Leedora, had brought out the good china for the occasion. Daniel kept telling him the dishware was in the classic Minoan style and as such was perfectly acceptable, but unfortunately Jack had never gotten used to eating off of naked men.

Well, make that eating off of plates decorated with pictures of naked men. After all, there was that time at Misawa Air Base when he'd had that fling with a hot shot Navy pilot. A newly minted lieutenant, Jack had been full of the arrogance of youth, certain he knew all the answers to every question ever asked and some that hadn't even been thought of yet. The same had been true of the hot shot, Lieutenant...um...crap...what the hell was the guy's name? Granted it was more years ago than Jack wanted to admit, but still--if you spend six months licking honey off a guy, you really ought to remember his name.

Across the table, Carter was deep in conversation with this world's version of a science geek. Like Jack and Daniel, she was sharing a bench built for two. Her seat mate, Scholar Philoden was young and handsome and claimed to have a deep interest in astronomy. Jack had a feeling that what the scholar really had was a deep interest in Carter. From the twinkle in her eyes, she seemed to be enjoying the attention and who could blame her? She worked damned hard under dangerous conditions with few chances to kick back and relax. A harmless flirtation in a safe haven such as this was probably a welcome relief from the constant stress of her day job. Jack hoped she took full advantage of the opportunity.

Teal'c had already lit out, somewhere after the appetizer course. Drey'auc had gotten a sitter for Ry'ac or sent him off to spend the night at a friend's house or something. The minute Teal'c had heard that, he'd been champing at the bit to leave the hall and have some quality time with his wife. Jack had been surprised they'd made an appearance at the banquet at all, instead of going straight off for a little R and R.

Jack could use a little relief. Hell, he bet Daniel could too. Sure, he was sitting next to Jack, placidly eating his vegetables like a good boy, but nobody could go through what they did on a daily basis and not need to let off a little steam. Jack was getting tired of sex that didn't involve anyone but him and his right hand and he wondered how Daniel dealt with his physical needs.

Daniel had little spare time for dating, which was true of every member of SG-1. He was also remarkably cagey about any possibly work-related encounters. Daniel had always professed total amnesia when it came to the events of their first visit to the Land of Light, but Jack noticed that he spent as little time around Melosha as he could. In fact, it was months before Daniel stopped blushing at the mention of her name. Even now, he rarely looked up to the head of the table where she sat to the left of their hosts. Maybe Daniel wouldn't mind having a real partner. Maybe Daniel wouldn't mind if that partner was Jack.

Maybe Daniel would like to be drizzled with honey.

Stabbing a little round potatoey thing with his two-tined fork, Jack tried to concentrate on the meal but it was no use. All he could think about was how he imagined Daniel's smooth warm skin might feel against his tongue and the taste of Daniel-flavored honey. He hoped that Daniel would like to drizzle him with honey in return, though maybe it would be best if Daniel drizzled him with chocolate syrup, which was also tasty but less likely to pull body hairs. Jack still had some syrup left over from team night a couple of weeks ago.

Across from them, Carter was putting a flirtatious spin on words like pulsar, radial velocity, and occultation. She radiated geeky cuteness and Philodendron was eating it up with a spoon. Daniel poured himself more wine then topped off Jack's goblet. Jack thanked him by digging into the serving platter in the center of the table to get them both second helpings of the not-rutabagas that tasted like pumpkin pie.

It was getting harder and harder to find the time to get SG-1 together on their off time. That had been their first team night in a while with little prospect of another in the immediate future. Despite the increasing intensity of their work schedule, they never seemed to get ahead of the bad guys. Just the opposite in fact. Sometimes Jack felt like a hamster, running flat out on his squeaky little hamster wheel and never getting anywhere.

Jack sighed. "Tell me again why we're doing this?"

"Doing what?" Daniel looked at him with curiosity.

Jack waved the hand with the fork in a half circle and a hunk of not-rutabaga plopped into his wine. "This."

"That doesn't really clear it up for me." Daniel took the last bite of the greenish vegetable souffle and quickly shoved a forkful of not-rutabaga in after it. "Why are we eating dinner? Why are we attending a diplomatic banquet in The Land of Light? Why do we travel to other planets? What is the meaning of life?"

"Forty-two."

Jack speared the wandering vegetable from his goblet and ate it. The red wine and pumpkin pie flavors clashed so he washed it down with more red wine. He heard Carter laugh, but didn't look to see if she was laughing at something Scholar Guy had said or if she was laughing at him for dropping his dinner into his drink. It didn't matter. It was just good to hear her laugh. None of them laughed enough, which was why Jack had instituted team night to begin with.

"No, that's the answer to life, the universe and everything. Yes, I am familiar with The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy." Daniel smiled and bumped his shoulder into Jack's. "Unlike you I not only watched the show, I read the books."

Jack bumped back. "Show off. Next you'll say you read them all in the original language."

"Well, I am a professional linguist. Besides, you can too since Douglas Adams was English. "

The light-hearted teasing lifted Jack's mood as it always did and Jack responded with his customary mock grumpiness. "Hmph. The English spell everything wrong. And they're always sticking extra u's in everything. It's like there was a sale on u's so they picked up a bunch and now they have to stick them into all the words just to get rid of them."

"English came first so technically it's the Americans who are spelling everything wrong and anyway this discussion isn't getting me any closer to an answer. What do you mean by this?" He pointed at a platter. "And pass me some of the kouneli while you're talking."

Jack hesitated, his fork poised over the platter which held a variety of meat. "Is that the not-lamb or the not-chicken?"

"The not-chicken, please, which is actually not-rabbit not not-chicken."

"Huh. I guess everything really does taste like chicken."

"Well, like not-chicken anyway."

They shared a smile over the old joke and Jack's heart grew warm. He may have been fooling himself, but he thought there was an extra warmth in Daniel's demeanor, a warmth directed specifically toward him. He thought he'd seen that a lot lately, but each time he dismissed it as wishful thinking. He dropped several slices of kouneli onto Daniel's plate, then took a little of both kinds of meat for himself. Someday, he was going to teach these folks about gravy.

With a significant glance at the flirtation going on across from them, Jack leaned in to whisper in Daniel's ear. "I don't think I've ever heard celestial phenomena being using for a pick up line before, have you?"

Daniel's breath stirred the little hairs on Jack's temple as he whispered back. "I think it's good that she feels comfortable enough to be herself. Sam and science go together like--"

"Toenails and clippers?" quipped Jack.

Daniel snorted as he stifled a laugh, puffing air against the side of Jack's face. "Not quite the analogy I was going for, but that will do." He pulled back a little to look worriedly at Jack. "You're not going to report her or stop her or--"

"No, no. There's no issue here of safety or compromising the mission so as far as I'm concerned that's between her and Philly. We all deserve what happiness we can get."

Jack put his hand on Daniel's knee to emphasize his point and he could swear Daniel leaned into it. The moment drew out and Jack's senses narrowed to the man next to him as Daniel's face expanded to fill Jack's visual field completely. The background hubbub of a hall full of diners chatting and clanking their cutlery faded out and the sound of Daniel's breathing, shallow and fast, filled his ears. It was as if they were alone in the room, inside a bubble of privacy.

Daniel's leg rested against his from knee to hip and his arm pressed against Daniel's body as his hand kept its grip just above Daniel's knee. Maybe it was his heightened perception, with his senses dialed up to maximum and zeroed in on Daniel, but he suddenly registered the heat emanating from the body touching his. Of its own volition, Jack's hand slid fractionally closer to Daniel's inseam, fractionally farther up Daniel's thigh. Daniel's breath caught in his throat for a moment, pupils dilating as Jack watched. Daniel's tongue darted out to lick his lips and his leg definitely pressed harder against Jack's.

Raucous laughter burst through the bubble bringing the moment to a crashing halt. Sharply reminded of their surroundings, Jack snatched his hand back as Daniel shifted away, putting a good two inches of space between them on the bench. In unison they each took a swig of wine. Daniel attacked his meal, stuffing his face as Jack had seen him do before when nervous. Jack, on the other hand, was reorganizing and arranging the contents of his plate, pushing the food around instead of eating. The awkwardness hung like a curtain between them and they spent several minutes in silence as it slowly dissipated.

Jack wasn't ready to speak yet, but the knot in his stomach had eased enough for him to take a few forkfuls of food. Daniel, meanwhile, had nearly cleared his plate.

Daniel cheeked the mouthful of food he was chewing long enough to say, "Don't think I've forgotten your initial question." He seemed as if he was struggling to keep a nonchalant tone. The normally unflappable Dr. Jackson was definitely flapped.

"What, you? Get sidetracked? I've long since given up hope of that." Jack shrugged, hoping his jaunty tone didn't sound as forced to Daniel as it did to him. He was trying to act normal but had trouble remembering what normal sounded like. Sighing, he admitted, "It just seems like the harder we try, the less we accomplish. But that might just be the tiredness talking."

"Tired? Didn't you sleep well last night?" Looking concerned, Daniel put his fork down and gave Jack his full attention.

By concentrating on cutting a slice of meat into bite sized portions, Jack stalled for time while he made up his mind about how truthfully he would answer. "I'm tired," he said slowly, "of sleeping alone when I could be with someone who means a great deal to me." He put his knife down and looked Daniel in the eye. "Aren't you?"

Jack's pulse was pounding in his throat. In reality, only seconds elapsed before Daniel's barely audible reply, but to Jack it felt like minutes, like hours, like a suspension of time. If he hadn't been looking at Daniel, hadn't seen his lips move, Jack might not have heard him.

"Yes. Yes I am."

Pushing the words out of his parched throat was like pushing a boulder through sand. "What, um, what do you think we should do about it?"

Daniel licked his lips again and Jack wondered for the thousandth time why they never seemed to chap. "I think the solution is pretty obvious when you think about it. Pretty easy to achieve, too."

"Think we could achieve it anytime soon?"

"I've always heard there's no time like the present." Daniel eased back across the seat so they were sitting hip to hip again. "You know how these dinners go. Once the opening speeches are done and we've officially broken bread together, Tuplo and Leedora have performed their obligations as host and all the formalities are over. Everyone can come and go as they please."

"In that case, I'm done with dinner." Jack pushed his plate away, then pushed Daniel's away for good measure. " What say we retire to our room?"

"We should at least say good night to Sam."

Jack smiled. "She and Filet snuck out a minute ago." He got a kick out of Daniel's double-take at the empty seat across from them.

They made a leisurely exit from the hall, saying their good-byes along the way. Once they hit the doorway they moved with alacrity. As they double-timed it through the corridor, Jack put his hand on the small of Daniel's back, both guiding him and urging him on. He spread his fingers out wide, wanting to touch as much of Daniel as he could. The guest suites were a distance from the banquet facilities, but Jack had every intersection and cross corridor memorized. Daniel kept pace with him, step for step. They were nearly there and Jack's excitement was rising. Ahead he could see the last turn into the homestretch, the short corridor with eight guest rooms.

Anticipating their arrival, Jack murmured "I can't wait to peel you out of those BDU's, run my hands over your naked flesh and kiss you senseless and then we can--" In his haste, he cut the corner too closely and something jutting out from the wall snagged his shirt, bringing him to a halt. Annoyed, he exclaimed, "Fuck!"

"Oh, God, yeah!" Daniel's breathless response was the only warning Jack had before Daniel plastered himself against Jack, pinning him to the wall. "We'll fuck, but if you keep talking dirty, we'll never get that far."

"Wait! My sleeve!"

Daniel ignored him, lipping and kissing Jack's neck and under his ear. Glancing down and to the side Jack managed to pull his sleeve free from the horns of the tiny bronze bull jutting out from the frieze that lined this section of hallway. With both hands now free, Jack put them to good use by grabbing Daniel's ass. Daniel meanwhile, was undulating against him, breathing heavily. Jack pulled Daniel into him hips first, increasing the pressure between them. Daniel groaned and Jack gasped at the waves of sweet tingling sensation that pulsated through his groin.

"Oh God, Jack!" Daniel's fingers clutched Jack's shoulders.

"Fuck, yeah."

Daniel shifted his weight, sliding his booted foot between Jack's, giving them each a firm hipbone to grind against.

"Shit! This feels so good," Daniel panted in his ear. "You feel so good."

The last thing Jack wanted was to stop what they were doing, but despite his arousal, he was mindful of their exposed position.

Panting, he said, "Daniel, we need--Fuck! Do that shimmy again!--to take this to our room before someone sees us."

Never slowing the rhythm of his hips, Daniel nuzzled his face into the side of Jack's neck. "No one will see us--they're all at the banquet. We left early, remember?"

With Daniel's moist breath in his ear, and Daniel's furnace-hot body rubbing against his from chest to crotch, Jack couldn't summon the will to open the door right next to him, much less go to their room down at the end of the hall. Instead he threw himself into the moment with wild abandon.

The next few minutes were a blur of friction and feeling as their bodies moved together. Jack managed to get one hand up under Daniel's shirt, stroking along his spine. The feel of bare smooth skin under his palm was gloriously intoxicating. When he came, Daniel was noisier then Jack had imagined, alternately cursing and declaiming to God as he shook in Jack's arms. Jack stifled his own cries against Daniel's shoulder.

They leaned drunkenly against each other, propped up more by inertia than by effort of will. With the wall at his back, Daniel's weight against his torso held Jack in place. Jack's pounding heart and heaving chest calmed and the strength returned to his limbs. The endorphins were subsiding as well making Jack aware of the bas relief frieze digging into his lower back.

When the door next to him popped open, Jack reacted instantly. Wrapping one arm around Daniel's body and cradling the back of Daniel's head with his other hand, he pivoted on one leg to roll them along the wall, away from whatever danger might spring out at them.

Under him, he could feel Daniel's muscles tighten, tendons straining, as Daniel tried to push Jack away and face whoever had startled them. Daniel's willingness to throw himself into the fray, especially in defense of a teammate, was a quality as admirable as it was heart-stopping and Jack put a halt to it whenever he could. Since the threat level here was low, Jack shoved back, keeping Daniel safely between the wall and Jack's body. Jack turned his head and prepared to confront the interloper.

Carter stood there. Her hair was sticking up in random tufts and her lipstick was gone. Jack was so disconcerted by the fact that she was only wearing one boot that it took him a second to notice that her t-shirt was on inside out. And backwards.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Carter had that narrow-eyed, pinched-faced look that denoted irritation. That look was most often directed at recalcitrant equipment but over the years Jack had come in for his fair share of it, too.

Jack, dreaded hearing what she was about to say, but respected her right to say it under the circumstances. Mentally, he braced himself for a dressing down. "Go ahead, Carter."

"Would you two just get a room already? You're incredibly distracting and some people are trying to concentrate." With that she snapped the door shut in his face. Muffled by the thick wood of the door, he heard her say enthusiastically, "Let's test the trajectory first!"

Gobsmacked, all Jack could say was, "What the hell was that about?"

Daniel stared at the door, eyebrows up and mouth open then said slowly, "I don't think I want to know."

"C'mon." Jack grabbed at Daniel's elbow as he started down the hallway. "I don't know about you, but I really want to get cleaned up."

As they walked to their room, three doors down, Jack's hand slid from Daniel's elbow, up to his shoulder then down to rest between his shoulder blades. He needed the contact. Needed to feel Daniel, solid and real, under his hand to convince him this wasn't another dream. Of course, if this had been a dream he would already know for certain whether Daniel liked to top or bottom or both. Jack was really hoping for both. There was something else he was hoping for too.

Jack opened the door to their room, gesturing for Daniel to go in ahead of him. As he watched that fine, firm ass go past, he asked, "Tell me, Daniel--how do you feel about honey?

Finis

Author's Note: I really appreciate feedback. Also, check out my J/D friendship fic under Catsmeow at The Alphagate http://www.thealphagate.com/viewuser.php?uid=381