Finesse As A Weapon

by Euphrosyne

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ase/euphrosyne/finessea.php
Summary: Eloquence of Presence demanded the obtuse, AKA Jack's point of view. This is the same fic, from Jack's slightly odd angle

I can feel him curled around me. His body is spooned against my back and impossibly warm. Human beings just should not be that warm; but he always is. He's lying very still, trying to pretend he's asleep but I know better. I can almost hear his brain engine purring. He's thinking again; and this late that can never be a good thing. He'll lay there quietly for as long as I allow and not make a sound to keep from disturbing me. If I don't say something now, he'll do it all night, so I give up the pretense of sleep.

"Go to sleep, Daniel." I try to speak softly though a hoarse throat, just in case I was wrong and he is asleep. But he is awake and responds typically to distract from his own problem.

"Why aren't you asleep, Jack?"

I sigh and know by responding again, I am doomed to discussing the situation.

"Because you woke me up."

His answer is predictable and provocative. He wants to start a little word battle to distract me from hounding him about not sleeping.

"I did not."

See, very predictable.

I try to shift slightly to alter the pressure on my damaged leg and moan with the effort.

"Yes, you did. I can hear your brain whirring, stop it and go to sleep."

Now he's going to do the nurse thing to try again to change the topic.

"I think you need something for the pain." He tries to shift behind me to grab that bottle of meds and water on the table next to him. I reach back and grab for his butt to hold him in place and stop his movement.

"No, just hold me." I try to sound as desperate as possible to keep him in place.

"I have been holding you, Jack."

Damn, he noticed. Well time for plan B then.

"Then kiss me." I say and roll to my back with a little difficulty and a barely audible groan.

He leans in and places his hands on either side of my face and then kisses me. He bumps my recently set nose and I flinch; then recover and kiss back. He presses against my lips and bumps my nose again and I wince, then he gets all bent out of shape as usual.

He pulls back and glares down at me.

"That's it; you are taking that pain pill if I have to jam it down your throat."

Isn't he sweet? That's what I love about him; that gentle style that is my Daniel.

"Daniel, I don't need it." I say in my most confident colonel voice while trying to convince both him and me that I'm not lying.

"Like hell, you don't need it! You want me to get that hairbrush back out?"

Attitude, I love that about him, too. It always gets me hot when he gets like that; that whole slave and master thing. Daniel can alpha with the best of them when he has a mind to.

"Oooh, would you?" I grin at him and wiggle my eyebrows.

Daniel just ordering me around can do it and the paddling he gave me before was hardly enough. They were ten of the gentlest swats he's ever given me and had I not already been on the edge they would have done nothing for me. But I got off; much to Daniel's relief. He was scared, I know, he didn't even get hard himself and he usually gets off on giving.

"Not unless you take the pain pill."

Crap, blackmail. He's too good at that, I wonder if his parents were really archeologists and not mobsters.

"Damn, you tricked me with words again."

My Daniel is clever. He's better with words than anyone I ever knew. It's like his brain has already plotted the entire conversation.

"To each his ammo, Jack." He knows I love a pun.

However, I was unprepared for this one and start to laugh which quickly reminds me of the staples in my gut from the surgery. That hurts and I grab my belly.

"Please, Daniel. I'm in enough pain here."

Oh great! One poor choice of words by me and here we go. He rolls away and grabs the pill bottle and water. We went through this before. I managed to spit out the capsule and hide it; if necessary I'll do that again. It's pretty dim in here; he won't be able to see me. I can stuff it under my pillow and dispose of it later.

I accept the pill from him and palm it. He grabs my hand and takes it back.

"Uh uh... you ARE taking this one."

How the hell does he know?

He holds the capsule in front of me.

"Open up."

I open my mouth. I'll tuck it up inside my lip and spit it back out.

"You are going to have to do better than that, Jack." He still holds the capsule.

I give in and open my mouth wider and sigh.

Whoever had the idea of changing all my meds from pill to capsule form is on the top of my shit list. I also suspect that self same person is currently looming over me. Pills take a long time to dissolve, I can hide them in my mouth for a half hour if I need to, and I have. Gelatin capsules are another thing entirely they start to dissolve the minute they are wet.

It had to be HIS idea.

He shoves that damned capsule nearly down my throat like a dog. I half expect him to hold my muzzle closed and massage my throat to get me to swallow it and then he hands me the bottle of water.

"Now, drink..." I take a small sip, maybe I can still pull this off.

"... drink the whole bottle, Jack."

Crap, again.

Maybe a plea bargain will work.

"I can't drink that whole bottle, Daniel. It's too much." I say innocently but he's not fooled.

He can be a real hard ass when he wants to.

"Please, Jack... I've seen you drink a yard of beer for God's sake. I know you can manage 20 ounces."

Yeah, I can. I've been known to drink a pitcher of beer with a straw too. I just don't want this damned pill. Besides then I'll have to get up and go take a leak. I'll try appealing to his soft side.

"But, I'll have to pee then."

"All the more reason to take the pill."

He counters with logic and thinks it will work on me; maybe he doesn't have a soft side anymore. I still have this capsule sitting on the back of my tongue. He hesitates for a beat and responds again.

"Well, then... drink the water and pee into the bottle."

Wait! Did MY Daniel just say that? Did I mention that he's really good at shocking the hell out of me too? Was that really necessary?

"That's... just... ewww, Daniel. You can really be... scatological and juvenile sometimes..." two can play here "... besides, I'd need a WAY bigger bottle than this one." I boast proudly, no prostate problem here.

About now the contents of the capsule deposit themselves across my tongue and down my throat. If I don't drink the water they'll make me puke and that's no fun with a belly wound.

I take the bottle of water he holds and drink the entire thing down. Now I'm doomed, I'll have to get up and go pee.

Daniel reads my mind and gets up. He comes around to my side of the bed and picks up my crutches then holds out his hand.

"Come on, I'll help you to the bathroom and I'll go and get us some more water and the pillows from the spare room to get that leg up."

He got his way up until now. I'll have to put my foot down... the one on my good leg that is.

"I don't need help to the bathroom, Daniel... I'm not a baby." I say in my best colonel voice.

In my mind I can just SEE his response, but don't say anything. I haven't needed help in the bathroom since I was 3... well okay, there was the last time I got hurt, and the time before that... oh hell, never mind.

"Fine, here are your crutches then, I'll be right back." He is sounding remarkably like my mother right now.

I heave my ass off the bed and balance on one leg as I slide my forearms into the crutches. It takes a little effort and Daniel just stands there and watches me walk towards the bathroom before heading for the bedroom door. I get to the bathroom and balanced as precariously as I am I now realize I can't reach the light. Maybe I do need some help; well if he wanted to help so much he should have turned on the bathroom light.

"It's dark in here, I can't see." That'll make him feel guilty.

It works and Daniel is instantly reaching around me for the switch on the wall.

We stand for a moment and he looks into my face then swallows and looks away quickly.

Yeah, I know I'm a sight, Daniel, but I was no prize before the beating and broken nose either.

"You okay now?" He asks, softly.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Want anything while I'm in the kitchen?" A preemptive strike from him I suppose. He doesn't have to prove to me that he is thinking about me all the time; but generally he tries anyway.

"No, I'm fine."

He really wants to DO something to make up for forcing me to take the pain med. I'll have to throw him a bone to make him happy. Daniel loves to do things for me, I forget that sometimes. I think of something, quickly.

"Daniel?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"Got any ice cream?"

His response sounds relieved.

"You want chocolate sauce?"

"No... but hot fudge and cherries would be nice." Hey, I prefer hot fudge and I know he'll take the time to make certain that it's hot before putting it on the ice cream. Then before I can ask he reads my mind.

"We don't have any whipped cream, so don't ask."

"Darn." I manage.

I'm back in bed before he gets back. I was worried that I might not make it, I was getting a little dizzy, so I just lay and wait for my angel of mercy... and my hot fudge. He comes in with a tray then hands me a bowl and spoon. He turns and starts to leave the room again.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"I told you I was getting the pillows from the spare room to put under your leg. It will feel better once we get it up." He says patiently.

"I always feel better once I get it up." I say trying to sound provocative.

"Don't push your luck, Jack. I already told you that was all for tonight. I didn't even want to do that but did just to stop the whining."

That's a lie, I never whine.

"I only got 10 Daniel, that wasn't even enough to sting." That part is true. I could hardly feel it over the knee pain... the belly pain... the nose pain... and the cracked ribs.

"Jeeze, you ARE a glutton for punishment, aren't you? No more, Jack. You have to go back to the infirmary in the morning for a check; I don't want Fraiser or Warner seeing any additional bruising that hasn't already been documented." He says from the hallway.

A lame excuse if ever I heard one.

"That's the beauty of this whole thing, Daniel... I have bruises that haven't come up completely yet, they'll just think it's all related." I argue.

He comes back in with the pillows from the guestroom bed, arranges them and carefully lifts my leg to rest on top of the lot.

"NO." He says firmly this time. Well if he thinks I'll leave it there he's wrong.

"Dan-yel..." I try pleading.

"I said no, Jack. You keep it up and I'll cut you off completely."

Oops, THAT'S not good.

"You wouldn't?" I say as I eat a cherry covered with still warm fudge. He'd never do that; he'd be cutting his own throat.

"You wanna bet?" He comes around the side of the bed and picks up his own bowl and spoon.

I don't like the turn this has taken. He's liable to try and prove his point and we'd both wind up miserable. Time for a strategic change of topic.

"I love you, Daniel."

"I know, Jack. Now eat your ice cream."

We eat silently for a moment. He knows I'm worried now, I can feel it. I'll have to be very careful with what I say or I'll force his hand. He blind-sides me.

"I was thinking of getting one of those flannel floggers. What do you think?"

I choke on air for a moment. Then suddenly the images and other options flood my mind, this could be hot.

"Can we get a butt plug too? A big one?" I ask eagerly.

He stops and processes that for a split second and I know he's already finished thinking that matter out.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea. The results might be hard to explain during pre or post mission physicals. But maybe we could get a collar; that is if you'd like to?"

He offers as a compromise

"Ooo, yeah, I think I'd like that. If we can't get a butt plug maybe we could get a couple of small dildos? With batteries?" We've been together nearly six months and I know my Daniel well; but all of his kinks are still a mystery, so I have to be cautious or risk turning him off entirely.

"Okay..." He agrees easily and I get excited again just before he interjects.

"... but no nipple clamps."

"Cool! Wait, what do you mean no nipple clamps?" Why the hell not? I'd love to try them or better yet see them on him.

"The rebound nipple swelling would be obvious."

"Nuts." That's a damned shame.

"Sorry." He apologizes, why I don't know.

"Go get your laptop and my wallet." I wanna do this before he changes his mind.

"Jack it is 3 am! It can wait until morning."

"You said it yourself, Daniel... its 3 am, it is morning already." Technically speaking.

"Later morning then."

"But the sooner we order them..." I want them now and he knows it.

He places his hand on my arm.

"... Later this morning, while you are at the mountain having your checkup, I can go into the Springs to one of those adult book stores with cash and buy them. That way we get instant gratification with no shipping fees and no questionable credit card receipts."

"Excellent idea!" I slurp the remainder of my soft ice cream around my response and then can't manage to suppress a yawn.

He sets his bowl aside and then takes my bowl and spoon. Then he tugs at the pillows behind me to settle them lower.

That pain med is kicking in big time and I'm having trouble keeping my eyes from closing. I want to see what else I can get him to agree to before I fall asleep, but that might not work. The belly and rib pain have disappeared entirely and the nose and knee are both muted. It's definitely the work of the drugs, I wouldn't put it passed him to have laced my hot fudge with something either. The boy can be sneaky when he wants to.

He pulls the comforter up across my chest and leans down and kisses me on my forehead.

Then he snuggles down beside me and I stretch out and turn my head towards and reach for him.

"Sleep now." He says firmly and I can no longer defend myself.

"I love you, Daniel." I really, really do.

He cradles my head against his chest and closes his eyes. I am always putty in his hands and he knows just how to work me.

"I love you, too."

Daniel is an expert at using finesse as a weapon.