Jack wasn't excited about the rock climbing, and maybe it showed. Climbing rocks was one of those things you did to survive, not for fun.
Or it had been, when he was younger, with better knees.
Now he was old and he had to drag his old ass out here to the middle of nowhere to watch Charlie convince his four-year-old to scamper up rock walls.
It was cool, being a granddad, but there was no doubt about it, it also meant he was old as dirt. Everything about the process, from the pre-made handholds bolted to the rock in shapes of fish and toys, to the infantilizing requirement that he - HE - be taught how to tie a proper belaying knot, it was all guaranteed to make him feel like an old man trapped in a baby cage.
And he was so incredibly bored in the baby cage.
"That tight enough?"
Jack looked up. The climbing instructor was gesturing toward Jack's crotch. Jack's eyebrow shot up.
"The harness," the guy said coolly, with a tiny twist to one corner of his mouth that meant that that wasn't what he was talking about at all. "You don't want it to be loose."
"The kid weighs thirty five pounds tops." Jack jerked his head toward where Jonnie was running in the infinite circles that never seemed to end. "He's not going to hurt me much if he falls."
"Can't be too careful. Ready to learn how to tie someone up?"
Jack rolled his eyes and stepped up to the wall where a selection of ropes were all hanging side by side.
"I can tie people up," he muttered, just a little rebelliously. The place had their rules to follow, after all.
"I bet," the guy muttered in turn, causing *both* of Jack's eyebrows to shoot up. Sonovabitch, the guy was *flirting* with him.
Jack looked him up and down more carefully. Built as hell, with blue eyes to kill for and sinful lips. He looked too young to be giving a guy as old as Jack the once-over, though as Jack got closer and saw the crow's feet upon crow's feet in the corners of his eyes he realized the guy was a lot older than he'd seemed at first glance.
Those eyes looked at him now and the corners crinkled and Jack forgot for a second how old he was. Jesus, the guy was *gorgeous*.
"Don't hold it too tight," the guy said, again with that quirk of the corner of his mouth, and he laid a masculine hand on the wad of rope Jack gripped between his hands.
Taking the rope back Jack twisted it efficiently and immediately into the double eight knot required. "Will that do?"
Cocking his head, refusing to look impressed, the guy pretended to look the knot over carefully before looking up smilingly into Jack's eyes with those blue, blue eyes. "I don't know. You'll have to test it out."
"Dad!" Charlie was waving him over, Jonnie dangling from one hand.
"They both yours?"
"Son and grandson," Jack said gruffly, ducking his head, unaware how that made the thick dark lashes lay on his cheeks. Dammit, for a second there he hadn't felt old at all.
"Wow. You don't look old enough for a grandkid."
"Yes I do." Jack's eyes twinkled when he looked up again. He didn't have anything to prove, after all. He'd earned his gray hairs.
"All right," the guy smiled, scratching his nose, "then your son doesn't look old enough for a kid of his own."
"I know. He started young. It wasn't my idea."
"Kids do do what they want."
"Yeah? You got any?"
"Look around!" The guy spread his extremely well-defined muscled arms and holy God, that was an excellent view. Jack almost forgot to listen as the guy went on, "I have dozens right here!"
"Nice."
"They get on my nerves sometimes," the guy said, shrugging shoulders that rippled and that too was well worth watching. Then he looked up at Jack again. He had a squint, as if he usually wore glasses, and Jack wondered how well he could even see. "I prefer grownup company every once in a while."
The guy couldn't be bolder, Jack thought, but it had to be because they were out here in the middle of nowhere and there were tons of kids around including Jack's. He was way out of Jack's league anyway. So Jack just said, "That'd be only normal," before he strolled away, feeling the guy's eyes on his back the whole way.
***
It was four hours later and Jack was ready to drop from exhaustion when Charlie finally dragged Jonnie out the door with a last call of "Don't forget about the chicken dinner tomorrow, Dad."
Oh help, thought Jack as he dropped into a cheap molded plastic chair. His arms ached from pulling on the rope for both Charlie and Jonnie as they climbed, and his legs were shaky from those times he'd had to climb to prove to both of them that the old man could still do it.
Plus it had pissed him off, the way Charlie babied him, as if it would make him explode or something if he actually flexed his knees.
They ached now, but only a little. A few Advil would take care of it. Of course he'd already taken a few when he got up that morning - that was what the state of the knees was these days - but it was a far from unbearable pain. Jack filed it in his brain under "uncurable, ignore" and forgot about it.
Looking around he realized that they'd closed the place down. The rest of the small families and groups of teenagers had cleared out and it was quiet.
The blue-eyed guy suddenly appeared from the locker room, drying his hands on a towel, moving with a very slight limp. He looked up and saw Jack just as Jack realized that they were alone in the big empty building.
Jack stood up and walked toward him.
"Uh," said the blue-eyed guy, taking a step back against the wall as Jack advanced. "Look, I --"
Jack just shook his head, advancing step by step, looking, though he didn't realize it, taller with every step he took.
"Yeah, I know your type," he said, and his voice was low and quiet.
"I am sorry if I offended you with anything I said," the blue-eyed guy said quickly, the words tripping off his tongue. "I didn't mean to imply anything or insult you. I just -"
"You're a big boy," Jack observed, and with the last step crashed right into that deliciously muscled, masculine body. Those blue eyes opened wide with shock and all his muscles tensed right before Jack pushed forward with his pelvis, grinding into him. Jack saw an expression cross the man's face, too fast to read, but he didn't push Jack away. Instead his hands came up and gripped Jack's shoulders and Jack didn't feel all that old any more.
"Whatsa matter," Jack teased as he pressed a little harder, "you flirt with all the old guys -"
"Hot guys," the younger man corrected, a little breathlessly as Jack put more pressure in a spot that was definitely reacting to the attention.
" - Old hot guys," Jack went on, looking pleased, "never thinking that any of them have the energy to take you up on what you're offering?"
"No, I don't flirt with *all* the hot guys," the guy said, rather evenly Jack thought considering that his heartbeat, which Jack could feel in his own chest, had speeded up considerably.
That was ridiculously sweet. Of course, it could be that the guy was lying, but it didn't feel that way to Jack. He didn't know why he felt this way, but those eyes, clear like sky, somehow made the guy look trustworthy.
Jack made a mental note not to trust him too fast.
He brought his hands up and stroked them down the outside of the guy's spectacular arms, sliding his fingers between those fingers and pushing his hands up and out so that he could press that body even more tightly between himself and the wall. "What's your name?" Jack asked in a tone that might be better suited to an office meeting than a full-body crush alone in a gym after closing time.
"D-Daniel," the guy said, his fingers clutching Jack's in a way that tugged at something inside Jack that had been left alone for far too long.
"Well, Daniel, are you a tease, or do you put out?"
The corners of Daniel's eyes crinkled again and Jack decided he would put up with a lot to get to see that every once in a while. "Put out? You're older than you look."
"Yeah? How about this one: I'll still respect you in the morning."
That something flashed across Daniel's face again but it was gone the next second as Jack pressed him tighter. "I think my line is, I didn't realize you respect me now." But in the next second Daniel's arms had come up and around Jack's body and Daniel was pulling Jack closer, pushing back where Jack was grinding into him, firm muscled chest pushing against Jack's, and all those muscles, good Lord the muscles, moving under the skin of his shoulders and neck, and Jack just wanted to get him alone, now, someplace more secure than a gym after hours.
"My place," and it wasn't a question. He backed up, let the blue-eyed guy catch his breath for a second, but Jack's eyes did not leave room for disagreement as he said, "You can follow my car."
"Okay," said Daniel, and Jack liked the way he said it. Nothing coy, no indecision, and no sarcasm. Just the word.
Jack drove comfortably and safely, checking his rearview mirror every once in a while. It was crazy in a way to take the guy back to his place, but safer than going to a stranger's. And if this guy decided to rob Jack or break into his house at some future point, he'd discover the error of his ways in good time.
Jack didn't want to think about the future right now. He'd spent so many years worrying about the future, Charlie's future. Pleasure wasn't about the future. It was for now. And that's what he wanted. He wanted sex, he wanted it with this gorgeous guy, and he wanted to feel not old and creaky. For at least half an hour.
And it looked like, contrary to all expectations, he was going to get it.
He let Daniel follow him up the walk, held the door open and let Daniel get far enough inside to say "Nice place" before closing the door, locking it, and plastering himself up against Daniel's back.
His hands traveled everywhere and it seemed like Daniel almost melted back into him. It was nice to kiss the nape of the neck on someone who was a little shorter than he was, just like it was nice to rub his chest against a broadly muscled back, and to snug his growing erection up against a spectacularly firm ass. Actually Jack didn't know when he'd ever met anyone with an ass as good as this one. Was there a polite way to tell someone he had the nicest ass Jack had ever rubbed himself against?
"Do I need to ask again?" Jack said as he ran his lightly stubbled chin against the nape of Daniel's neck. Oh please, thought Jack, let him be the type of guy who puts out.
"It's always polite to ask. But the answer is yes." And Daniel turned in his arms and gathered Jack against him and tall, rangy Jack suddenly felt a bit small. In a calm, deeper voice Daniel said, "It's not going to be all your way, you know," right before he slid his hand under Jack's chin, pulling him closer, and kissed him.
Jack stopped thinking, about how long it had been since he'd had sex, about how long it had been since he'd been kissed, about safety or clothes or anything other than Daniel's spectacularly distracting lips. Feeling like a teenager, he stood in his hallway, necking with the cute guy he'd met at the gym.
"This is the life," and he realized he'd said it out loud when Daniel chuckled.
"Yeah," Daniel said, and Jack dimly grasped that both of them were talking about themselves. He felt a moment of cross-connection. But it didn't matter. Jack was sure it didn't matter.
It still felt awkward, walking down the hall with a man he barely knew a few steps behind him. It had been so long. Nobody would begrudge him this, not Sara, not Charlie, but he still felt the growing tinge of embarassment, or maybe pathetic need, deep in his stomach as he faced Daniel standing next to his own bed, the glow of the bedside lamp falling in a circle on them both.
Then he looked in Daniel's eyes again, and the light soaked deep inside them and made them bright, bright blue, and Jack didn't have time for embarassment any more.
He was hungry to *be touched*, even more than he was hungry to touch.
They ripped each other's clothes off, and that had never happened before, but there went buttons flying and stitches were heard to pop. But it didn't matter because there was skin, glorious skin, Daniel's hands were all over Jack, sliding through the hair on his chest, scratching down his shoulders, and Jack reached for him too and --
"No." Daniel's voice was firm and his palms turned hard, holding Jack in place.
Jack could feel his erection bounce. He was in no mood for stupidity. Just because he wanted to be touched didn't mean he didn't want to touch back. "No? What the hell does that mean?" and he reached for Daniel again.
"Don't --"
But Jack's hands had slid around Daniel's torso and couldn't stop and Jack hissed under his breath.
Scars, everything he touched was scars, thick ridges and thin lines and smooth regrown patches and --
"Jesus Christ," Jack muttered before he could stop himself and tried to pull Daniel closer to the light.
"Really, don't." Daniel turned stiff, resisting, but Jack's hands could still lever a man around against his will, even a man trying much harder than Daniel. Jack looked at the broad triangle of Daniel's shoulders, twisting down through a muscled back to his waist half-turned away, and surveyed the amazing patchwork of scar tissue. He'd seen some serious workups but this guy was beyond.
He was lost in contemplation, just standing there, when he heard Daniel sigh. "Oh well," Daniel said, with a note of fake resignation, and Jack put out a hand on his shoulder before he could move away. "Not my lucky --"
"No, don't," and this time Jack was saying it. "Don't go. Just surprised me there."
"I'll understand if you don't want to --"
"Hey. Hang on." Jack took one of Daniel's hands in his own, ran Daniel's warm, soft fingers along the burn scar that still pulled across his ribs on the left. "You've got a few on me. But they don't bother me."
Mesmerized, Daniel stood there, letting Jack hold his hand, control it, use it to stroke himself. "Really?"
"Really."
With that Daniel launched himself at Jack again, like a hungry animal, and he shoved Jack backwards on to the bed, licking, biting, everything he could reach, his hands and mouth hot and his back quickly slicking with sweat around the ridges of the scars and his cock shoved against Jack's and they were fast, so fast with their hands and their mouths and their skin that the orgasms were almost afterthoughts, not nearly enough for how hungry they both were, and Jack's skin was still humming as he collapsed both in and on top of Daniel's arms and fell asleep.
***
He woke quickly with his head pillowed in the crook of one of Daniel's elbows. Daniel was breathing deeply but slowly and in the dark -- someone had managed to turn off the light at some point -- Jack could see a very dim gray outline of Daniel's shoulder, and stomach, and very erect penis pointing up towards Daniel's profile.
Quietly Jack said, "Now I do wish I were a younger man."
There was a rustle as Daniel's head rocked back and forth on the pillow. "Why's that?"
Jack laid his hand on Daniel's erection. Apparently involuntarily, Daniel bucked up against it, in stark contrast to his steady tone as he said, "Don't pay it any mind."
Jack chuckled. "That would be a waste."
But it was a companionable quiet, and Jack was happy just to touch him, feeling the silky skin and the blood just under the surface. "You feel as good as you look."
He could feel Daniel wince and turn away. "You must not have been feeling too hard."
"No," said Jack quietly, "I can feel." He rolled Daniel's body towards himself, stroked his hands purposefully over the scars.
Unexpectedly, Daniel shifted, and one arm came up to wrap naturally around Jack's waist and he rested his head in the hollow of Jack's neck.
It was odd, Jack thought in a distanced way, how well they fit together.
"Wanna tell me about it?" Jack said into Daniel's cheek, still rubbing his chin against Daniel's, liking the rasp of his late-day stubble against the same stubble of Daniel's.
"No," Daniel said simply.
But that was okay. Jack let his hands explore in the dark. He did have a lot of scars of his own, that was true. And he knew something of how to read them. On Daniel's body he read burns, and gunshots, slices and peppershot and even needles.
"Military?" was all Jack asked, and Daniel's body jerked.
"Classified," was all Daniel said, and Jack nodded against his head.
"Colonel Jack O'Neill, special forces, retired," Jack said, rubbing his nose against Daniel's neck. "I have a helluva security clearance. If you want to talk."
"Okay," but that wasn't what Daniel meant as he shoved Jack away and rolled to the far side of the bed. He planted both feet on the floor and Jack could tell he was looking away. "Whoever you are, it worked, you got me, I had sex with a man, just do whatever you're going to do and get it over with."
"Hey, whoa, you got it wro--"
Daniel was up and flipping the light back on.
Jack just lay back on the bed. Naked.
"Where's my pants," Daniel mumbled, not really asking.
Jack hooked one ankle over the other, continuing to look at Daniel's still slightly erect cock with great interest. "If I were a plant, believe me, I'd be younger. And better looking."
Daniel just snorted, continuing to rifle through the assorted pillows, covers, and clothes that had been tossed on the floor.
"What, your enemies are really that lame?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Daniel half-snapped. "There isn't anyone better looking."
Jack had to grin at that, but Daniel wasn't looking at him, he was threading one leg into the pair of pants he'd finally located. The deep puckered scar on the back of the shin explained the slight limp Jack had noticed. Daniel had no tendon left there.
"Look, I really don't want you to go like this." Jack hadn't meant to say anything and certainly not that, and not in that tone, as if he were really serious and really honest and really not wanting Daniel to walk out the door.
Jack studied the tousled, thinning hair and Daniel's squint and Jack really started to feel lost. The guy was more than gorgeous. He was somehow homey, and Jack wanted him. Wanted him to stay.
Wanted to have more sex with him, definitely.
Jack spread his arms and his fingers, showing how unarmed he was before he folded his hands behind his head. "I'm not kidding. About the clearance, the service, any of it."
Shoulders slumping, Daniel sat back down on the edge of the bed. "I don't, uh. I'm pretty sure I can't... Well. You know."
"Sure. I know." The guy wasn't going to just spill everything there was to spill about whatever he was up to, that much was clear. Jack didn't really expect anything different. High security clearances didn't go with a tendency to immediately have heart-to-hearts with strangers.
But Jack didn't feel like a stranger.
"Looks like a tough tour of duty," was all he said, lightly.
Daniel snorted again. "Over and over."
"Huh." Jack let his eyes roam over Daniel's skin but he was looking at the muscles, not the scars. "Not much of a CO, letting you get beaten up like that."
"No." And that seemed to make Daniel relax. He leaned back on his arms, turning his head so he could see Jack's bare legs laying beside him. "That they were not."
"They?"
"There've been a few." Reaching out with one hand, Daniel started to run it up and down along Jack's bare hairy shin. "You know I'm not going to talk about it."
Jack shrugged, his shoulders sticking awkwardly to the headboard. "You know it's not going to bother me if you do or don't."
Leaning back, Daniel looked upside down at Jack's head. Jack watched his eyelashes flutter. "You're not for real," Daniel muttered.
"Why not?" Jack was considering digging out his dogtags just to show Daniel but he was resisting the urge. Daniel wasn't interested in reading dogtags, he was trying to read Jack's face.
And squinted a bit as he stared. "Oh. Sure. Incredibly hot men who just also happen to have military pasts and high security clearances and are also gay and who are willing to sleep with me."
"That last category can't be all that narrow." Jack shrugged again, lowered one hand to scratch comfortably at his chest, then lower. Something seemed to have dried in the hair on his belly. "Look, I'm as real as it gets. I live in this town because I used to work at the base I'd bet any amount of money you work at now. I had to retire for family reasons. Otherwise we might be working together. It's just a small world, that's all."
"Small." Daniel muttered something in a language Jack didn't understand, didn't even recognize. "Not small enough, if I didn't meet you before today."
Pleased again, Jack scooted his way down the bed to lay flat, then rolled over, pressing his body full-length, luxuriously, into Daniel's. Daniel's erection jumped in the soft skin on Jack's belly and he liked that. God, how he'd missed this. Daniel felt so young, despite the scars, so warm and hard and soft and *real*. He fit right against Jack's skin, and Jack was not surprised to find himself thinking that it wouldn't be hard for Daniel to get right under it. There was something about the guy, honest, yet guarded, that Jack was interested in and comfortable with all at the same time.
At least part of it was easy to understand.
"I'm sorry you didn't meet me before today." Jack pressed kisses along the ridges of muscles in Daniel's belly, Daniel's chest, as he talked, and Daniel stifled a moan. "It can't have been easy for you, doing what you do, wanting this."
"Easier than you think. I'm not really military. But that's a whole long... thing." Daniel's hand came up to cup the back of Jack's neck. "Tougher for you, I bet."
Jack's darker eyes met Daniel's across the length of his body.
"Not really," and this time it was Jack's tone that was a little chilly. "I was married. For a long time."
"But not now."
"No. She... died."
"Ah hah." Daniel's hand just kept stroking the back of Jack's neck, making him feel held and kept and soothed all at the same time. "Family circumstances."
"I had to raise Charlie."
"Seems like you did a good job."
"Yeah, he's okay, even if he did rush right out and get married and pregnant and all before he'd even finished college." Jack was scooting slowly down Daniel's body.
"There's a lot of different ways to be okay."
Now Jack's eyes sparkled up at Daniel's. "Right back atcha."
Daniel squinted again as if he couldn't quite tell without his glasses if Jack was mocking him or not. "You think I'm okay."
Deliberately, feeling as if the random touching had gone on just about long enough, Jack licked a broad stripe up Daniel's cock, from the base to the tip. Daniel's breath caught so hard Jack thought he might not start breathing again. "You taste okay," Jack said thoughtfully.
Growling, Daniel pulled Jack up on top of him, hands hooked under Jack's armpits and moving him surprisingly easily.
The hunger of the first time was past, a little, and Jack could enjoy himself more without feeling like he might explode at any second.
They rolled together easily, fitting like puzzle pieces, both of them unabashed but careful as they ran their fingertips, tongues, teeth everywhere.
Jack found himself on his back, thrusting into air, as Daniel gently chewed on the inside of his thigh. "Daniel," Jack said in a slightly strangled voice. "It's really time to do something more... specific."
"Mmm hmmm." Daniel sounded as if he were considering a problem written on a blackboard. "I'd really like to fuck you, Jack, but this first time I think you'd better do me."
"First time?" Jack thrust again into nothing, a little helplessly, the blood rushing away from his brain and making him feel a little dopey. "There's going to be more times?"
"Of course," Daniel said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and Jack felt something click into place.
"Okay then," and he rolled around finding the lube and the condoms he'd kept in the drawer over the last few years more from a sense of good housekeeping than hopefulness.
He liked rolling Daniel over, feathering his fingers between the cheeks, hearing Daniel suck in his breath again, feeling the muscles clench then forcibly relax, listening to Daniel's breathing. He could almost hear Daniel's heartbeat.
He did not like feeling his knees cracking and popping as he slid between Daniel's spread knees.
"I'm not going to be able to do this very often," he felt like he had to warn Daniel.
"I'm probably not going to be able to either."
Jack didn't know what that meant. Daniel seemed, aside from the obvious damage, to be in fine shape, maybe ten years younger than Jack and so much fresher. Running his hands up the back of Daniel's thickly muscled thighs - he must have been a runner before the tendon incident, he certainly didn't bend easily, but he was so firm and warm to the touch - Jack didn't feel old. For the first time in a long time, Jack just felt human.
When he slid slicked-up fingers into Daniel's heat and Daniel moaned out loud and pushed back toward Jack, Jack said, "But that doesn't mean this isn't a really, really good idea."
It didn't seem that Daniel was really listening any more, because he didn't respond, and Jack was losing track of the thread of conversation too. He had slicked himself up and was rubbing just the head against Daniel's entrance and that felt so good, rough against smooth, all the nerve endings heating up until he was already on fire and he wasn't even inside yet and he didn't even know if he had to be.
But Daniel's wordless encouragements reminded Jack that it wasn't just for him that he was doing this, and slowly he did press into Daniel, sliding himself in slowly, letting Daniel control the speed and rubbing his free hand hard along Daniel's back. It was too difficult to be gentle, Daniel's grip on him was too tight for that.
And when Daniel pushed back and Jack sank inside to the hilt, he closed his eyes and forgot his age, and his name.
The didn't discuss it, moving gently, carefully against each other, then harder, then harder still, Daniel picking up the pace so fast Jack almost didn't have time to adjust and then Daniel was gripping the headboard, using it for purchase to push back against Jack and wordlessly goading him on into pressing deeper, faster, harder.
Words skipped through Jack's head, words like good and please and never and always and more and still, but he couldn't put them together into any coherent sentences, so he didn't try. He just lost himself in the experience, not trying any fancy maneuvers, free to save them for later, since, as Daniel had said, there would be laters, just enjoying the sensation of being *inside* someone, being held, really.
He surprised himself with his stamina but when he realized he wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer he bent closer to Daniel's hard body, groaning as his skin came more in contact with Daniel's, sweat slicking between them now, and his hand closed over where Daniel was just as hot and erect as he was trapped inside Daniel, and he squeezed and twisted as best he could and it must have been good enough, judging from the way Daniel shouted, and shuddered, and the hot stuff that spurted over his hand.
Yes, thought Jack as he felt his own thighs shake and realized he couldn't stay in this position much longer but it didn't matter. He'd had this and this was good. This was what he needed. Silently he thanked Daniel as he came, longer, quieter this time, slumping over and pulling Daniel with him.
When he thought again, he realized that a little bit of preparation could have really helped with the cleanup situation but it was too late. Funny I don't know better at my age, he thought to himself with a smile.
Calling on the iron determination that had earned him the lieutenant colonel rank, Jack steeled himself to get out of bed despite the way his every cell cried out for immediate sleep. It was only appropriate, something muzzy in the back of his head thought. He'd been the one on top. He had to do something.
Daniel made protesting noises as Jack cleaned him up a bit but Jack wasn't sure why and Jack could relax when he climbed back into the bed with Daniel, spent, balls a little sore, and ready to sleep.
***
When he woke up again it was daylight and Daniel was still sleeping.
His shifting seemed to wake Daniel up and they looked each other in the eyes, blinking in the daylight.
Daniel said, "My job will probably kill me."
Reflexively Jack reached out a hand and cupped it around the back of Daniel's neck as Daniel had done to him during the night just past. No, he thought, but what he said was, "It hasn't yet."
"There's a thing," and Daniel was explaining with intensity that he clearly hoped would convey the details even if he couldn't explain them. "They have one at the base. It can heal you. I tried it once and it was... I tried it a lot of times. I got addicted to it. Getting over that was more painful than the wounds. And while I was on it I -- I shot someone close to me. I can't risk it again. Everyone else uses the thing whenever we come back from missions, we're all always pretty cut up, but I can't do it, I won't do it. I'm never going to get a lot better than this. And I'm never going to let them put me in the s-- not in that thing, not ever again. So I'll probably die, one of these days. I've had enough time to get used to it. But you ought to know."
Jack's heartbeat was picking up a little. "That's not really first date conversation."
"This isn't really a first date."
Jack nodded. "I figure you're telling me this because you think I'm expecting you to come back." Jack squeezed his hand around Daniel's neck. "I am."
Daniel's brow furrowed, an odd set of little chevrony furrows that pulled his brows together. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, as if he were trying out different things to say but he couldn't settle on one.
Jack released his neck, smoothed the hand down his shoulder. "You want some eggs for breakfast?"
"I just told you a ton of crazy things, including about things that can't exist, m-- magical healing boxes and that I shot someone and a ton of things, and you want me to have breakfast with you."
"I'm hungry. You're hungry. We should eat."
"You don't believe a word I said."
"I believe all of them." Jack pushed himself up into a sitting position, feet on the floor, and looked back over his shoulder at Daniel. "We should eat."
"You don't even know if you're safe with me in the house."
"Oh, I know." Jack stood, wincing a little as his back protested and his joints clicked and popped and the muscle in his neck spasmed. He definitely wasn't as young as he'd enjoyed acting last night.
"How? How do you know?"
Even the slight limp didn't keep the man down for long and Daniel was right in front of him, blocking his path, interrogating Jack with an intensity that Jack found surprising.
Jack just shrugged. "Instinct."
He patted Daniel's shoulder, then pushed past him, gently, to head toward the kitchen, snagging a pair of sweatpants hanging on the back of the door as he went.
He was standing in the kitchen, loose pants draped on his hips, mixing eggs with a little milk in a bowl when Daniel showed up.
"Don't you want me to do... something?" Daniel asked a little helplessly, watching Jack move confidently around the kitchen.
"Nope."
"I, uh." Daniel fell silent again.
Jack wondered when was the last time anyone had done something for Daniel. Not in the infirmary, just in general. He wondered when was the last time Daniel had had a Christmas present. He quite liked the thought of buying one for him.
"You're not Jewish, are you?" he asked suddenly.
Daniel fixed him with a hairy eyeball. "Nooo..." he said slowly. "Does it matter?"
"Christmas," was all Jack said, clattering his whisk happily in the pan.
"You are insane," Daniel said. "You just met me."
"I'm looking forward to getting to know you better."
"You picked me up in a gym."
Jack slowed, stopped. Without looking around he said carefully, "I kinda thought you picked me up."
When Daniel didn't say anything, Jack did glance around. Daniel was just sitting there, game leg folded underneath his chair, looking at Jack with an expression that Jack could only call wary.
Jack turned around, leaned against the counter. "I did this wrong, didn't I. I should have asked you out, talked to you a few days, made a polite move several dates into this whole thing. Now you think I just want you for the hot sex. That's gonna be tough to disprove, because I very much want you for the hot sex. But that's not all of it."
Looking at Daniel, Jack just shrugged, turned back around to the counter. "Oh well. It'll work itself out."
Still Daniel didn't say anything.
Jack glanced at him again.
Finally Daniel said, "I don't know what to say to that, and I want some eggs."
Nodding, Jack stirred the eggs in the pan, salted and peppered them before turning them out onto two plates, giving one, with a fork, to Daniel.
Daniel still stared as Jack sat opposite him and started to calmly eat his eggs.
Jack looked around the kitchen as he ate. There was a small wine rack on the counter. He wondered if Daniel liked wine. He liked the look of Daniel, bare-naked, sitting in his kitchen. Briefly he considered the idea of sex in the kitchen, then veered away from the thought; it wouldn't be polite to eat his breakfast with a hard-on, and even though he shouldn't after last night, he felt one stirring. He looked at his counters. Charlie had left things out all over the counters all the time. Idly Jack wondered what Daniel would leave out on the counters. He wondered if Daniel liked horseback riding, and whether he himself would be able to stand a whole lot more rock-climbing. Did Daniel work at the rock-climbing place part time? Did he own it? Did he live nearby? So much to learn, and it was all a thousand times more interesting than anything he'd been asking himself twenty-four hours before.
Yes, Jack liked the look of Daniel in his kitchen.
Daniel said, "I can't really face my day without coffee."
"That," Jack said, pointing his fork directly at Daniel, "is actually a problem."
"Why-y?" Daniel sounded like he was probing for minefields.
"Don't have any," Jack said cheerfully.
They regarded each other, Jack chewing his eggs.
Jack waved his fork.
"Look, Daniel," he said, "I'm so damn old. No, shut up. I am. You should be with someone younger. But I'm no saint. I like you. I *want* you. I like how it feels to have you. Can't we just --" He looked around the room as if searching for the right phrase, "-- try this?"
Daniel's lips were open and his eyebrows were still furrowed.
He watched Jack even as he picked up his own fork. Watched Jack even as he scooped up some of his own eggs, chewed them.
Jack cocked an eyebrow.
"What, you want me to say something?"
"Sure."
"Okay. I guess we can. I guess we should."
Jack hid a slight smile behind another forkful of eggs as Daniel added, "I guess we will."