The Devil His Due 2

Gentlemen's Agreement

by Euphrosyne

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ase/euphrosyne/devildue02.php
Summary: Dinner is served!
Info: """

Date: June 8th, 2003

Warnings: NC17, Gratuitous bad puns, twisted observations, cannibalism mentioned (well, sort of), three way sex, food sex, Chopsticks as a sexual aid, a dram of angst. You REALLY HAVE to read The Devil His Due first to understand what the heck is going on! Rates a two on the DarkGate kink scale.

"Get the door, Jack...that will be dinner." Daniel was just entering the bathroom when the doorbell rang. Jack came through from the kitchen, grabbing his wallet on the way. He opened the door to pay for the food delivery and his heart nearly stopped.

Harry Maybourne stood there holding a large carton. "Hi, Jack!"

"Harry!...What the fuck are you doing?... Are you trying to get me killed?... Daniel's here!" Jack's urgent whispers betrayed his nervousness.

"I know, Jack... he invited me."

"He did NOT."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Yes, I did... come in Harry, I'd say make yourself at home... but we ALL know that you've already done THAT." Daniel came up from behind and, reaching around Jack, took the large carton from Harry's arms and headed for the kitchen.

Jack just stood at the door as Harry slipped past him and into the living room, removing his jacket as he walked.

"Would you like a drink, Harry?... Jack, get Harry a drink... Jack?... JACK!"

Daniel came out of the kitchen to see Harry sitting on the couch and Jack still standing holding the door open. There was a shocked look on his face and his mouth was wide open as if to speak.

"JACK!... get Harry a drink... JACK!!" Jack's eyes shifted to Daniel's face but his expression remained unchanged.

"Ja-ack...close the door and get our guest a drink." Daniel spoke slowly as if to a child and then sat down at the other end of the couch.

Jack looked down to see the door knob still in his hand and figured he could either yank it out or close the door; he thought for a second and opted to close the door. His eyes shifted back and forth from Daniel to Harry, both smiling at him; he just KNEW he was in deep, deep trouble.

"Daniel... what's going on?" He figured he wouldn't get any information from Harry, who could be oblique at the best of times.

"I invited Harry to dinner, Jack."

"Uh... Whyyy?" Jack was practically whining.

"I think it only right we get better acquainted. I mean, after all... we share a common interest."

"I'm NOT so sure I want to know what that interest is." Jack shook his head and looked back and forth between the two men again.

"Oh, come on, Jack... you can't tell me you didn't enjoy at least PART of last night?" Harry started.

"You MUST have... how else would Harry have been able to mark you like that? You must have REALLY been distracted." Daniel finished.

"This ISN'T fair... you guys are ganging up on me. I thought YOU were on MY side, Daniel? I thought you didn't like to share."

"No... you're right. I DON'T like to share... when I have no say in it or if I'm not around. But I MIGHT be persuaded, if I had some say in the matter."

"And what about me, don't I get a say in the matter?" Jack was getting a little panicked.

"Jack... don't you trust me?" Daniel smiled sweetly.

"Not with THAT look on your face... what's going on, Daniel?... What are you suggesting?"

"Well, that all kinda depends on you, Jack." Harry answered.

"WHAT? So YOU'RE finishing his sentences now too, Harry?"

"A contest." Daniel said quietly.

"With ME as the prize, I suppose?"

"No... not the prize, Jack." Harry answered.

"You're the battlefield." Daniel pushed his glasses back up on his nose and stared squarely into Jack's face as Harry nodded his agreement.

"Why do I feel I'm gonna regret ever opening that door? Don't I get a vote in this at all?"

"As far as I'm concerned, Jack, you lost your say in the matter when you stood me up to meet Harry..." Daniel tilted his head slightly.

"I thought I explained that, Daniel?" Jack said leaning forward. "I told you... I OWED him. That was his price."

"Well, you paid his price... and now you pay the penalty." Daniel shook his head.

"And THAT IS?"

"Let's have dinner and talk about THAT, shall we?"

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"Oh, Ja-ack... don't be such a spoilsport... come on, Daniel. I got some of everything." Harry said as he stood.

"I hope you got some Hunan." Daniel headed for the kitchen to get some plates and utensils. "I guess you'll have to get your own drink. Jack's NOT being very hospitable. There's beer in the fridge and..."

"Beer's fine. I hope its decent beer and not any of that domestic crap..."

Harry walked behind Daniel and opened the fridge. "...Oh, thank God, Molson! What are you drinking, Daniel?"

"There's a bottle of Johannesburg Riesling in there and the corkscrew's in the drawer to the left of the sink."

Harry grabbed the bottle and moved to the drawer to retrieve the corkscrew and leaned back against the counter to open the bottle of wine. He smiled and looked over at Daniel who was pulling plates down from the cabinet.

"I think Jack's worried."

"He better be..." Daniel smiled and turned to Harry. "...what's he doing, now?"

Harry leaned around the corner to look down into the living room and watched a very stunned looking Jack O'Neill scrub a hand across his face and shake his head as if holding a conversation with himself.

"I think he's trying to figure out how much it's gonna cost him." Harry pulled the cork from the bottle and looked back at Daniel. "Wine glasses?"

"Oh... cabinet over the dishwasher."

Maybourne reached up for the cabinet but once it was open discovered he couldn't reach the wine glasses on the top shelf. "Uh, I can't reach them."

Daniel put down the napkins and plates and, turning, grabbed a glass from the shelf of the open cabinet.

"Sorry."

The clink of glass in the other room drew the attention of both men. Harry peaked around the corner to see Jack at the breakfront in the dining room pouring several fingers worth of bourbon into an old fashioned glass and chugging it. Then he poured more whiskey into the glass.

"Uh... looks like Jack's gonna try to drink his way out of this one."

Daniel picked up the plates and carried them into the dining room then moved up beside Jack and placed his hand on the bottle of bourbon.

"Jack?"

"Daniel."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm having a drink. What's it LOOK like I'm doing?"

"It LOOKS like you're trying to get drunk, Jack."

Jack took a drink of the bourbon in his glass and without looking at Daniel commented. "SEE... I KNEW you were smart!"

Daniel reached up and turned Jack's face toward him and finally saw the hurt and anger in the depths of the brown eyes.

"I thought you loved me, Daniel?"

"Of course I love you. Why would you think I don't?"

"If you really loved me you wouldn't do this."

"Oh but you're wrong there, Jack. I'm doing this because I love you... AND... I think that you are the single hottest guy on the planet. I wanna watch you with him and have him watch us together and know that when all is said and done, after he leaves, we'll still be together. That and have him know that he can never take you from me..."

Jack looked into Daniel's face; some of the hurt was gone but the confusion was still there. "Why? You don't have to prove anything to anyone, Daniel."

"You're wrong there too, Jack. I have to prove to Harry that you are mine, body and soul. We belong together and no matter how hard he tries, he can never break us up. Don't you see, Jack? That's what he's trying to do..."

"No... it isn't..." Harry said softly from the doorway staring directly at Jack. "...that was never my intent. I never meant for you two to break up; I could never do that to you, Jack. I just wanted to pretend that you were mine for a little while. Pretend that WE had something together. To see what it would be like to love you and be loved by you. I just wanted a small taste of what you two have... is that so wrong? That was just the only way I knew how to get it... I told you how I feel about you, Jack, and you told me how you feel about Daniel. I just want you to be happy and although I'd PREFER you were happy with me... barring that, I'll take whatever you are willing to give..." Harry looked from Jack over to Daniel. "...or whatever you are willing to allow."

Jack swallowed hard.

"I won't lie to you, Harry. I DO care a great deal for you. But I love Daniel more than I've ever loved anyone and I'm not prepared to give him up. Not for the Air Force, the planet, or even you..."

"I respect your decision, Jack... and thank you." Harry put down the beer he was holding and headed for the front door. Jack turned towards the exit and spoke a little louder.

"...I said I wasn't willing to give him up.... But if HE isn't averse to sharing, then I guess I'm not either."

Harry's hand paused midway to the door and he turned back towards the dining room. "You're sure?" Harry looked hopeful.

"No... I'm NOT certain... but I'm willing to try."

Dinner was quiet.

The conversation consisted of the merits of one dish over another and whether it was more appropriate to drink wine or beer with Chinese food. Daniel finally capitulated and agreed that beer was indeed the more traditionally correct beverage, much to Jack's delight. Then when Jack tried to talk him into drinking a beer, he pointed out that although beer MAY be the more technically correct drink, Canadian beer was NOT and he poured himself another glass of wine.

After they had eaten their fill, they stored the leftovers for later and started the cleanup.

"Why don't you two head on up while I load the dishwasher, I'll be along in a minute." Daniel smiled as he placed the last plate in the rack and set the controls.

"Come on, Jack." Harry smiled and turned towards the steps to the second floor. Jack looked at Daniel still uncertain.

"It's alright, Jack. Go ahead. I'll be right there."

Jack turned and headed upstairs.

Fifteen minutes later when Daniel came into the bedroom, he was carrying a small cooler with several bottles of water and a few beers on ice. "I thought we might need some drinks..." He stopped dead in his tracks and stared.

Harry was lying in the middle of Jack's king-sized bed, naked, and Jack, also naked, was lying between Harry's spread legs. Jack's head bobbed up and down on the big cock while Harry threaded his fingers through the silvered strands of his hair.

Daniel started to pull his clothes off, suddenly acutely aware of Harry watching him. He flashed him a slightly evil smile as he moved towards the bed behind Jack.

Jack was holding Harry's hard cock in one hand as he slid his mouth up and down, pausing to tease the slit with his tongue as he came back up. He felt the bed shift behind him and warm hands stroking up his legs from the ankles. He wasn't sure what to expect, but what did happen surprised him.

Daniel slid all the way past him to lay next to Harry in a mirror image of his pose, then reached his hand out to Jack and guided him to lie between them. Jack moved up the bed and stretched out, still a little uneasy with the entire idea. When Daniel and Harry both shifted to lie on their sides and face him he knew he was in trouble. When four hands started to caress him, mapping every part of his body, he thought maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He worried briefly that he wouldn't be able to stand the strain as Daniel spooned up behind him and Harry in front.

Harry started to work on one of Jack's nipples as Daniel slid further down and laid kisses all along Jack's back, finally reaching and parting Jack's buttocks. Daniel lifted Jack's right leg, holding it up behind the knee until Harry slid down enough to lay the leg across his side. Harry had kissed and sucked his way down Jack's chest and belly and now teased the hard cock with his tongue as Daniel rimmed Jack.

The noise that he was making would have embarrassed Jack if he had been capable of anything resembling coherent thought. He rocked from one mouth to the other. Between Harry's hot mouth surrounding his cock, the sweet suction increasing as he pulled back and onto Daniel's waiting tongue, thrusting inside him shallowly then teasing the sensitive external muscle as he pulled away again. He floundered in the middle, drowning, his hands fisting in his own hair and Harry's as he headed for his release. He never noticed when the tongue rimming him became fingers stretching him in preparation.

Daniel paused in his sweet torture long enough to snag a tube of lube from where he had so conveniently placed it on the night stand. If Jack noticed that Daniel had stopped, he didn't show it, continuing to fuck Harry's mouth as if he'd never had a blow job before. Daniel was determined to get Jack's attention; he smeared lube on his cock and pushed inside Jack in a single thrust completely sheathing himself and delivering a glancing blow to Jack's prostate along the way. Jack gasped and stilled as Daniel pulled almost the entire way out. When Daniel thrust in again, Jack pivoted his hips back in answer and came with a growl his cock deep in Harry's mouth. Harry swallowed all he was given then pulled back up the bed to lean against the headboard and watch.

Daniel slowed, allowing Jack to turn to his belly and then lift up on all fours, shifting slightly into a better position and resumed sucking Harry's cock. When Daniel was repositioned he set a brutal pace, launching himself into Jack with such force that it took Harry to hold Jack in place.

If Jack's entire attention hadn't been on Harry's hard cock, and the pounding he was getting from Daniel, he might have noticed that both men were staring intently at each other. Whether it was a contest of stamina or a power struggle Jack was definitely the middle man. One of Harry's hands fisted Jack's short hair the other squeezed his shoulder pushing down when he felt Jack had pulled back far enough. Daniel's grip on the sweaty body was slipping, so he bent at the waist and circled Jack with his arms using all the power in his hips to thrust.

The power struggle became so intense that neither man noticed when Jack stopped participating on either end and became so much putty. Jack glanced up and saw the intense look on Harry's face and could just imagine what Daniel's expression was like. He figured he better get control of the situation quickly or his butt, figuratively speaking, was toast.

He scraped along Harry's cock with his teeth.

"OWWW!... DAMMIT, JACK!"

Harry didn't see the small smile come over Daniel's face as he looked away. Harry also didn't see that same smile turn to a grimace when Jack clenched down on Daniel's cock.

"SHIT!... JACK!"

Jack pulled away from both of them and fell to his side. He stared up at both men now glaring intently at him.

"If you two assholes are done?..." Jack rubbed his jaw, and panted slightly, he was flushed and dripping with sweat. "... You BOTH say you love me... then dammit... ACT like it! I'm not a fucking twenty dollar whore... a little consideration might be nice... you wanna have a dogfight? Then get yourselves a new bone, cause I'm too old for this crap!"

Daniel and Harry were both stunned. They looked at Jack and then at each other and then slightly embarrassed by their own behavior looked down at the bed. Jack was still angry.

"I mean it Goddamnit, I'm NOT a piece of meat... you two wanna fight? Then get out of my bed and take it outside... I don't need THIS shit!... No, you know what?... on second thought..."

When Daniel reached out to touch his shoulder, Jack shrugged his hand off.

"... Leave me alone." He launched himself from the bed and stormed from the room. The two men in the bed looked back to each other when they heard the guest room door slam.

"Shit." Daniel's erection wilted as his attention was diverted. He looked towards the open bedroom door and then back towards Harry.

"Woof. He's HOT!" Harry had barely moved from where he was, only turning his head to look up at Daniel.

"It's our fault..." Daniel chewed his bottom lip. "... I better go see if he's alright." He started to get up from the bed.

Harry reached over and took his arm. "Wait... give him a couple of minutes to cool off. Let him burn off some of the heat."

"Jack's not like that... he'll stew, but he won't cool. Maybe you'd better leave; this was probably a very bad idea."

"Yeah it was, but not like you think. It was a bad idea to use Jack as the playing field... or even the prize. Don't you see... what that means? In either case it's STILL about us, either you OR me... it SHOULD be about Jack. THAT'S why he's angry... we lost sight of him in our contest. He stopped mattering..."

Daniel's eyes widened at Harry's words. He had always thought himself sensitive to people and situations, always tried to see their viewpoint. He tried to make sure that, even during the height of the struggle, no one lost sight of the PEOPLE affected by the struggle. He had lost sight of Jack during this struggle. In his effort to win hearts and minds he'd jeopardized the one heart and mind that most mattered to him, and it had taken Harry Maybourne to open his eyes. He stared dumbfounded at Harry.

"... Me leaving now won't make a difference, the damage has been done. We need to fix it... we broke it together... I think we need to fix it together... I'm just not sure how." Harry sat up and raked his hand back through his hair as he thought.

Daniel looked towards the door and back to Harry again.

"I think we need to stop competing and start cooperating. We need to show him that HE's what's important... are you up for that, Harry?"

"I'm only here because he IS important to me... yeah, I'm up for it. What about you, Daniel? Think you can stop hating me long enough?"

Daniel thought a moment and then frowned. "If it means getting Jack back, I would even have sex with you."

Harry held up a hand in warning. "Don't joke... it MIGHT be necessary."

Daniel looked towards the door again and then back at Harry.

"I'll take my chances."

Daniel stuck out his hand and Harry looked at the door and then Daniel's face and then shook the offered hand. "Now, how the hell do we do this?" Harry asked.

"Get dressed... I have an idea."

Daniel was pulling his clothes back on even as Harry sorted through the garments discarded along the bedroom floor earlier when he and Jack had come upstairs. Daniel slid the tube of lubricant in his pocket as Harry dressed.

"I can't find my socks." Harry looked around the floor and started to stick his head under the bed.

"It's okay... we don't need socks and shoes. Let's go... you follow my lead. It's about time that Jack knew just how important he is to BOTH of us." Daniel patted Harry on the shoulder as they headed for the bedroom door.

They stood outside the guest room door for a moment just listening.

"Of course if the door is locked then it's all over." Harry whispered.

Daniel frowned, scowled at Harry and then held his breath as he tried the knob, exhaling in a controlled measure as the door opened. The room was dimly lit, the fading day just barely illuminating the figure under the covers in the queen sized bed. Unable to tell if Jack was asleep they carefully made their way into the room and moved to stand next to the bed.

"I told you to leave me alone. I'm not in the mood." The voice from the bed was soft but firm.

"We're sorry, Jack... we acted like a couple of jerks." Harry was the first to speak.

"We came in to apologize, Jack..."

"Fine, apology accepted... now go away."

"You're still angry Jack..." Harry spoke hesitantly.

"Always the keen observer, Harry. Look, obviously I have nothing to say in the matter. You two battle it out and get back to me, THEN... I'll let you know..."

Daniel sat down on the edge of the bed next to Jack, who quickly turned over to face away from him. Daniel looked up at Harry who immediately moved to the other side of the bed and sat down.

As Jack tried to shift away from Harry, Daniel grabbed Jack's hand and started to lovingly explore every centimeter of it, stroking and rubbing each line and bone.

Jack groaned. "That isn't going to work this time, Daniel..." Jack's voice faded as Harry picked up Jack's other hand and began the same tender motions. Jack's momentary distraction was long enough for Daniel to spoon up behind him, still on top of the covers. As Harry laid kisses in the palm of Jack's hand; Daniel started to stroke Jack's hair and kiss his exposed shoulder and neck. When Jack tried to flinch away from the kisses to keep his resolve intact, Harry laid down on the other side of the bed; effectively trapping Jack.

"...Why can't you two just leave me alone?"

"You don't want to be left alone, Jack..." Daniel started.

"Like hell I don't."

"You don't... you want us to make love to you."

"Uh... WRONG! You two wanna play king of the hill, well, I don't want to play."

Daniel raised an eyebrow and looked over at Harry who stood and came back around the bed, then held his hand out to Daniel.

Daniel took the proffered hand and stood up, moving directly into Harry's personal space... and his arms.

With his back turned, Jack took no notice of the action; he was just relieved that they had both backed off. He lay breathing deeply and trying to calm himself for a moment until he realized that either they hadn't closed the door or they hadn't left the room. His senses went into automatic mode.

When the soft sighing began, he resisted the urge to look. As the sighing segued into moister sounds, he found himself straining to hear more and he struggled NOT to turn and look. His mind was working overtime to try to decipher the sounds he was hearing and find another reason, ANY other reason for those sounds.

Cloth against cloth, the unique sound of a zipper, sighs, moans and small moist noises now with breathy sounds pushed buttons deep inside Jack. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he was flushed like a schoolboy who had overheard his parents having sex.

The temperature in the room had increased by a good fifty degrees and Jack longed to throw the covers off his now overheated body. He refused to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they were having that kind of effect on him, so he endured.

The sounds increased and now were unmistakable, he HAD to know. Jack tried for nonchalant as he rolled to his back and opened his eyes.

No way...

There was no fucking way that Daniel Jackson was giving Harry Maybourne a blow job!

But there it was, happening right in front of him. Jack blinked hoping to clear his vision, the room was dim; but not THAT dim. Sometimes good night vision could be a curse.

Like now.

Harry was shirtless and leaning against the armoire, his pants puddled at his ankles. With one hand, he was gripping the heavy piece of furniture for support while the other stroked through Daniel's hair. Jack squeezed his eyes shut again but when he opened them the scene had not changed.

He looked lower.

In profile, Daniel was kneeling, shirtless with his pants opened and was stroking his own hard cock even while going deep on Harry's. The sight was almost overwhelming for Jack who found his earlier arousal had now given way to a full boner in almost record time.

Daniel could feel Jack's gaze burning into him. He had seen the motion in the bed from the corner of his eye and knew that Jack had turned over and was watching them.

The thought of Jack watching them was strangely erotic and inspired Daniel to be even MORE blatant. He pulled back and, pointing his tongue, teased around the head and shaft, almost painting his way to Harry's balls where he tickled each briefly before sucking them into his mouth in turn. He heard two groans, one from Harry who was nearing climax and a second from the bed.

Daniel knew that Jack was a slut for having his balls sucked, so it didn't surprise him when he saw another blur of motion as Jack threw back the covers and took his own cock in hand. As Daniel released the second ball, he felt Harry tighten up under him and moved back up and took the entire glans in his mouth. Harry banged one hand on the front of the armoire and threw his head back growling as he shot his load into Daniel's mouth. Daniel made slurping sounds as he swallowed and heard a soft gasp from the bed. He swallowed all that Harry had to give and licked the softening organ clean before releasing it.

Harry was panting and winded, but he extended his hand to help Daniel to his feet. Daniel fumbled in his pants pocket for a moment and brought out the tube of lubricant. Harry pulled him in for a kiss and, taking the tube from him, squeezed some onto Daniel's fingers, then he turned to lean on the dresser, stepping out of his pants.

Another blur from the bed and Jack was laying on his side now, his eyes still firmly fixed on the action across the room. Daniel quickly slid two fingers into Harry and started to scissor them. Harry moaned and writhed under his touch and started to push back for more. When Daniel pulled back and lubed his cock, he could see Jack stroking himself, his hips moving as he stroked. Daniel moved up behind Harry and pushed inside, the stereo gasps barely noticed in his urge to sheath himself.

"Yes..." The voice from the bed was soft and thick. The words more growled than spoken but the meaning was clear. "... fuck him."

Daniel stilled briefly while leaning over Harry's back and whispered into his ear, then pulled out and stood. Harry moved to the bed and leaned down, laying his torso on the bed as he raised his buttocks into the air. Daniel moved back up behind him and slid in again, lifting his eyes to Jack's face as he started to thrust.

"Enjoying the show, Jack?... You didn't tell me he was this tight." Daniel gave an extra thrust and Harry gasped and fisted the blankets that Jack had discarded. Jack's eyes drifted briefly to Daniel's face but returned to the action immediately, the pace of his hand increasing as Daniel's thrusts into Harry did.

Harry looked back over his shoulder at Daniel who stilled, somehow knowing exactly what it was Harry wanted to do. Harry moved a little ways along the side of the bed, taking Daniel with him, buried to the hilt. Harry reached out and began to stroke Jack's heated cock with his hand as Daniel resumed thrusting. Then, as Daniel pounded, Harry buried his face in Jack's tender groin, licking the pulse point at the thigh crease and causing Jack to gasp and shudder. Only Harry's hand on his thigh kept Jack from drawing up his leg in response.

Harry laved the area, sucking hard at the tender flesh before moving on to his primary target. Jack lifted his hips trying to force his cock farther into Harry's mouth as Daniel struggled to be buried deeper inside. Harry lifted his head and began rubbing his beard across Jack's balls before he leaned in to take one in his mouth. Jack arched up off the bed and came with a shout and Daniel cried out his own finish a moment later.

Daniel pulled out, allowing Harry to crawl up alongside of Jack. Daniel stood, stepped out of his own pants, and then moved to the other side of the bed and crawled in next to Jack. By the time Daniel had gotten into bed, Harry was feasting on Jack's mouth with Jack an enthusiastic participant. Daniel started to work on Jack's neck and down to his collarbone, one hand drifting over to card through Harry's hair. Jack closed his eyes and moaned, tensing against the onslaught.

Harry and Daniel both felt the tension and Daniel lifted his head and whispered. "Let it go, Jack... just relax and let it go."

Harry leaned closer to Jack's ear and nuzzled his neck making soft 'shhs'ing' sounds as he laid small kisses all over. Daniel leaned in and kissed Jack as Harry began working his way back to Jack's chest. When they bumped heads, Jack heard the sound of skull meeting skull and opened his eyes expecting trouble.

What he saw was Daniel and Harry kissing about six inches from his face that sight relaxed him more than their words ever could. He sank into the soft mattress, sighed and let himself go. In no time he was asleep.

Daniel noticed it first and tapped Harry on the shoulder to get his attention, pressing his finger across his lips. Harry paused for a moment then turned to his side and draping an arm across Jack's chest settled in. Daniel got up, grabbed the blanket from the floor and tossed it over both men, then climbed in on the other side facing Jack and Harry.

Daniel lay for a long time, just watching the two men sleep, his mind running comparisons between them.

At first glance, they looked like complete opposites. Jack was tall, lean, and built like a distance runner. Harry was short, stocky, and more like a wrestler or maybe a couch potato. But they could both be dangerous and brutal when necessary. They had each taken separate roads with their own sets of rules and had been forever changed by their dedication to the ideals that they held. They had both been devastated by loss, used up and tossed away as expendable by the system that they served. Daniel suddenly felt like an outsider in the bed and considered getting up and going back into the other room.

As he started to turn and swing his legs from the bed, a broad hand grasped his upper arm and he turned to look into Harry's face. He couldn't see the color of the green eyes in the dim light but the expression was clear and when the raspy voice whispered, "Stay," he sank back into the mattress and closed his eyes.

_______________________________________________________

Daniel woke with a shiver. He had been warm and now he felt a chill. He moved towards the center of the bed and the warmth he knew he'd find there.

It wasn't.

He looked over and Harry was asleep next to him, but Jack was gone. How the man had managed to remove himself from the center of the bed without waking either of them escaped Daniel.

Sometimes a lot of the things that Jack did escaped Daniel. He turned his head to see if he was still in the room. No sign of him in the room and the door to the guestroom bathroom was open, the light off.

Daniel thought about reaching over and waking Harry and then changed his mind. He sat up and got out of bed and, pulling on his boxers, headed out of the room in search of Jack.

The master bedroom and bathroom were empty, as was Jack's study; he headed for the landing and looked over the rail. The living room was dark, but there was a swathe of light cutting through it from the kitchen. Daniel padded down the steps quietly, peeking around the corner as he came to the bottom of the stairs like a kid on Christmas morning.

He was never sure what to expect from Jack when he disappeared from bed like this, whether he would be happy or unhappy to see him when Daniel found him.

Sometimes nightmares drove him from their bed, sometimes melancholy and insomnia, sometimes it was dreams of his other life. Sometimes Jack welcomed Daniel's company and sometimes he was apologetic. Other times he was angry at being discovered before he had completely regained his composure; those were the hardest for Daniel. He wanted to comfort Jack, reassure him; but Jack was angry and would become embarrassed and hostile and try to shut him out.

He moved quietly through the living and dining rooms and stopped before heading into the kitchen.

"I didn't mean to wake you."

Jack always knew he was there, no matter how quiet he was; that alone was scary. Daniel smiled and pushed his glasses back up and walked into the kitchen.

Jack was in his shorts, sitting on one kitchen chair with his feet propped up on another, eating leftover Lo Mein from a carton with chopsticks.

Daniel sat in another chair and, reaching across the table, picked up the cold bottle of water sitting at Jack's side and took a drink.

"You didn't wake me. I rolled over and you were gone, I was worried."

"I was hungry." Jack shoveled more Lo Mein into his mouth.

Daniel lifted his chin trying to look into the carton Jack was eating from.

"Is there more of that?"

Jack looked into the carton and then over at Daniel and handed the carton and chopsticks over.

"This is COLD! Jack, you were eating COLD Lo Mein."

"Uh, yeah... I thought it would wake you to use the microwave, besides I LIKE cold Lo Mein."

Daniel shoved a large portion of cold Lo Mein into his mouth with the chopsticks. "That is so... weird. Nobody eats cold Chinese food." Another portion of cold noodles made it into Daniel's mouth as he finished his sentence.

Jack smiled broadly. About the time that Daniel shoved the third portion of noodles into his mouth the smile broke into a wide grin and Daniel realized that he too was eating cold Chinese food and started laughing as he attempted to shove more into his mouth.

This portion only made it halfway into his mouth several noodles trying to make their escape down Daniel's chin. Jack reached across and plucked two of them, dropping them into his own mouth, then he got up and went to the refrigerator.

"Is there any of that tofu left?"

"No, Daniel. I ate that already. But we have General Cho's Chicken and those little drumsticks in plum sauce that you liked so much."

Daniel shoved more noodles into his mouth and spoke around them.

"Ooo, yeah, I loved those."

Jack started to unload all the cartons leftover from dinner onto the table and grabbed another set of chopsticks from the drawer. He watched Daniel pull a small chicken drumstick from one box and start to lick the cold plum sauce from it.

"Did I ever tell you about my Aunt Sandy's parrot?"

"No." Daniel forced out between bites of chicken.

"She had a big African Gray parrot that LOVED to eat chicken. He would sit perched on the back of a kitchen chair with a chicken drumstick in one foot and eat the entire thing, saying 'mmm good' the entire time. It used to drive my Uncle Mike crazy. He said it was cannibalism, a parrot eating chicken like that."

Daniel chewed and then swallowed, snagging the cold bottle of water before Jack could smack his hand away.

"Your family is weird, Jack, even the pets."

"Like THAT'S news, Daniel. I figure that old parrot would have loved these little guys!..." Jack snagged a dripping drumstick from the carton and holding his hand under it transported it to his mouth. "...Of course, if he spent any time in a pet store or a vet he would probably be afraid of Chinese carry outs."

Daniel frowned not understanding the point.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, didn't you ever notice that every pet store or vet's has a Chinese carry out in close proximity?"

"Nooo, they don't." Daniel shook his head, afraid of where this was headed.

"Oh yes, they do. Think about the ones around here even... every single one."

"What are you implying, Jack?"

"Nuthin'... But parrots wouldn't be the ones in trouble anyway."

"No?"

"No... it's the dogs that really live in fear..." Jack watched Daniel pick up another carton and start to shovel cold General Cho's into his mouth. Daniel rolled his eyes and took another bite, while waiting for Jack to explain his latest observation.

"... Yeah... I figure they don't call it CHOW Mein for nothing." He broke into a broad grin.

Daniel started to laugh again, holding his hand across his mouth as he tried to swallow with some difficulty. Then he looked Jack squarely in the eye and said, "General Cho's Chihuahua?" The battle was on.

"Moo Goo Gai Poodle?"

"Spaniel Har Ding?"

"Kung Pao Pomeranian?"

"Chop Saluki?"

"Then what's Lo Mein?" Daniel was laughing nearly uncontrollably now.

"That's short for Labrador." Jack managed with a forced straight face. They started to laugh out loud now, with the occasional snort punctuating and sending them into further paroxysms of laughter.

"What the hell are you two laughing at?" Harry stood bleary eyed at the kitchen door, neither man had heard his approach.

"Harry!... sit down... are you hungry?"

Jack kicked the chair out with his foot and Harry sat down. He had gone so far as to pull on his pants before coming down.

"Yeah, starved... Is there anything left or did you two eat it all?"

"Hey!..." Daniel laughed out, waving his chopsticks. "...we saved you some Chihuahua!"

Harry was opening cartons looking for something that appealed to him and stopped at Daniel's comment.

"I have a feeling that I DON'T want to know what THAT means."

"Nope." Jack said simply as Daniel continued to laugh.

"Probably better off not." Daniel reinforced.

"Meatball?" Jack shoved a carton across to Harry and got up and snagged another pair of chopsticks from the drawer as Daniel cracked up again.

"I can't believe you put pants on, Harry." Daniel said softly, after the laughter leveled off. He rose from his chair and went to the refrigerator and grabbed a couple of bottles of water and passed them to Jack and Harry, then came back and stood behind Harry's chair. Allowing his hands to drift along the furry chest he rubbed his thumb across a nipple until Harry moved his arm again. Harry put the box with the meatballs down and tugged Daniel to stand beside his chair, then using the chopsticks teased Daniel's length through the opening of the boxers.

"Now, THAT'S kinky!" Jack snorted out around a mouthful as Harry tried to grasp Daniel's cock and pull it free from the shorts with the chopsticks. When Harry was victorious with a wide grin, Jack couldn't resist the comment...

"Are you gonna eat that?"

"Oh yeah!" Harry held Daniel prisoner in the chopsticks as he tongued the tip of his cock.

"Perhaps some duck sauce or plum sauce?" Jack asked.

"Hmm..." Harry pulled back and looked at the cock and then up at Daniel. "...plum, I think."

Jack stood and grabbed a spoon from the drawer and dipped some of the plum sauce from the carton and drizzled it onto Daniel's cock head. Daniel hissed from the cold sauce until Harry dove back down, sucking as he went. Jack spooned up behind Daniel, supporting him as Harry worked his cock.

"Tell us what you want, Jack." Daniel hissed out between gasps.

"I want Harry to fuck me as you suck me off." Jack's voice was husky and low; it sounded dangerous.

Daniel gasped and came hard as Harry swallowed. When he was spent, Daniel stepped away from Harry and pushed Jack towards the table, pulling his shorts down.

Harry got up and moved towards the kitchen counter and snagged the can of olive oil and, moving back, poured a small amount onto his fingers. He slid the slick fingers between Jack's cheeks and teased the opening before coming back to pour more onto his hand.

Daniel slid to the floor under the table and grabbing the furry thighs started to lick and tease Jack's hard cock. Jack thrust forward slightly as Harry's slick fingers entered him and Daniel took the hint and swallowed him to the root.

When he felt the hard cock at his opening, Jack spread his stance widely and gripped the table. When Harry was completely sheathed and started to thrust, Daniel set up the counter rhythm.

The table pounded the wall, the cartons of food beginning their erratic walk to the edges of the table with every jerk. Harry snagged one carton before it was about to make the dive and wound up with his fingers full of plum sauce. Jack grabbed the fingers and started to lick them clean, then dipped his own fingers in the same carton and dropped his hand down next to his cock. Daniel released Jack's cock and guided the sauced fingers into his mouth, sucking each clean before going back to his main course.

Harry tried to push deeper and laid across Jack's back. Jack scrambled for a better grip on the table and managed to knock several of the cartons and their contents onto the floor in the process. Harry was relentless and, nearing his own release, Jack was oblivious, so Daniel watched the food cartons rain onto the floor all around him, spilling their contents, as the table bucked and thumped above his head.

Jack came first; his primal shout a cross between a roar and a gasp, and Daniel swallowed all he was gifted, sucking hard as Jack's orgasm waned. Harry continued to pound into Jack for another minute or so before stilling and thrusting in short little jabs from the hips.

"OH GOD, JACK!!" Harry slumped along Jack's back briefly before Jack growled, "I need to stand up, NOW!"

Harry pulled out and helped Jack to stand, then turned him around and started to kiss him deeply. Jack's arms wrapped Harry as he leaned into the kisses.

"Uh... guys?... I need a little help here... guys?"

Daniel was trapped in an uncomfortable position, still under the table. Jack and Harry turned and leaned down to take the archeologist's hands and pull him out, then up into a standing position.

They all looked at the mess on the floor and table.

"So... who's gonna clean this up?" Jack looked at his two companions.

"Don't look at me, I only got two meatballs before this started..." Harry shrugged. "... besides, it's all HIS fault..." He thumbed in Daniel's direction.

"... I guess its times like these that you wish you had a dog, eh?" Harry smiled.

Daniel and Jack looked at each other and cracked up.

"Well if you hope to be invited back in the future you better pitch in to clean up." Daniel grabbed the trash can from under the sink and the broom and dustpan from the corner. He handed the broom and dustpan to Harry and the trash can to Jack and moved to the closet for the pail and mop.

"Hey! Does this mean I get to come back for dinner again?"

"Yes, Harry." Jack leaned over and kissed him softly on the mouth.

"IT DOES??!!" Now Harry looked hopefully to Daniel.

"Yes, Harry, it does. Now sweep, so we can all get back to bed." Daniel took two steps and leaned in and kissed Harry hungrily.

Harry grinned broadly and now, a man with a mission, started to sweep.

fin