Bitter/Sweet Kisses

by Sid

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sid/bittersw.php
Summary: Three short looks at kisses, both bitter and sweet
Info: Written for the Jack/Daniel Kissathon on LiveJournal

CYBERKISSES, SWEETER THAN WINE

{{Between Seasons 8 and 9}}

Daniel walked back to his office in a daze, his excitement only muted by the thought of Jack's undoubted reaction to his news. He decided to send an email rather than telephone, in order to spare himself the blast from the first wave of anger. But Jack needed to be reasonable. With Sam at Area 51 and Teal'c helping to shape the Jaffa Nation...and Jack himself so far away....

He opened up his mail and found a message from Jack in his inbox. The subject line was: Old Geezer Music. Daniel smiled. Was Jack file-sharing? What was he learning out there in Washington? "You can teach an old dog new tricks," Daniel muttered. He opened the email.

It said: You like these guys, right? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHC1FLoSWy8

Daniel clicked on the link, curious to see what Jack was sending him. Within seconds he was lost in memories of their first tentative kisses, which had featured choked whispers and pounding hearts and absolute, stunned euphoria.

Daniel found tears starting to his eyes. Jack knew how much Daniel missed him, and he was sending him a promise. A promise that he would come back to his lover.

How was Daniel supposed to tell him now that he was going to the Pegasus galaxy?

After a few minutes thought (and a few times hitting 'replay'), Daniel copied the YouTube link into a new email, and typed in the words: We need to talk.

He hit send. And waited for his phone to ring.

SOULMATES

Maybe Jack's gaze lingered a little too long, examining and assessing. Daniel looked at him with a crinkled brow. And then the brow smoothed out and the eyes widened and heat and awareness flared between them.

Jack sent a message with a glance that said, 'You, me, alone, now.' And Daniel responded by doing and saying the necessary things that would unobtrusively get them away from the others for a few minutes.

When they had some privacy, Daniel lost no time stepping into Jack's personal space. He reached out and stroked Jack's cheek with his knuckles. "You understand," he said simply, sadly.

Jack nodded. "Yes," he answered thickly. And then they were kissing. Daniel was warm and solid in his arms and his taste was on Jack's lips, and Jack poured out all the love that he'd kept inside for so long and felt it flowing back to him.

They clung to each other and kissed as though there were no tomorrow, because there wasn't. Not for them. Desperate kisses turned salty, and Jack trembled with the passion that he couldn't turn loose, because this wasn't the time or the place. Or the man.

They both seemed to break off the kiss at the same moment, and Daniel burrowed into Jack's shoulder and spoke into his ear. "I wish you were my Jack."

Jack's arms tightened in instinctive agreement, even as he shook his head. The statement was both true and false. "No, you don't," he said, and his voice only shook a little. "He's your friend; he's the one you fell in love with."

"Yeah," Daniel agreed. His mouth pressed against the side of Jack's neck, and his breath was warm and moist against his skin. Jack had held his own Daniel this way, had felt his breath like this. But never while his lips were still tingling from warm, loving kisses.

It would never happen. Daniel didn't love him that way.

Jack slowly pulled away from the embrace. Daniel's face was tear-tracked, but his eyes were dry now, which was more than Jack could say for his own.

"It's not fair," Daniel said bitterly.

Jack opened his mouth to say something sympathetic but Daniel wasn't finished.

"Two universes are laughing at us."

For that, Jack had to kiss him again.

AS TIME GOES BY

{{Future time}}

Jack always felt chilly after sunset these days. Daniel brought him the cardigan Cassie's daughter had knitted for him a few years back, and helped him shrug into it, since stiffness came along with the chilliness. "Thanks, dear," Jack said with that self-deprecating sideways twist to his lips that the years had done nothing to change.

Daniel settled in beside Jack on the couch and gave him a quick peck on the mouth. "You're welcome." He picked up the book he'd been reading.

Jack leaned closer and put his arm around Daniel's shoulders. "That wasn't much of a kiss," he growled into Daniel's ear.

Daniel laughed and turned his head to comment, but Jack stole the words from his mouth with a kiss that had his book sliding from his hands unnoticed, and landing on the floor next to his curling toes.

Breathing a little heavily, Jack finally lifted his head. One of his hands stroked the soft swell of Daniel's belly as he asked, "Who's your old man?"

"Nobody but you, Jack," Daniel told his husband, utter contentment in his voice.