I've Been Thinking... 2

I've Been Thinking Too...

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/thinking02.php
Summary: Daniel has a few questions of his own

"I've been thinking..."

Here it comes, Jack thought, his heart sinking. The two of them had just had the most awkward of dates in the history of awkward dates. Conversation had been stilted, neither of them knowing what to say to each other in a date situation. Even the movie had been awkward, although it was a relief that they didn't have to talk. Jack hadn't been sure whether he should be doing things like holding Daniel's hand in the darkness, and he felt that his hesitation had showed. Daniel had been displaying his nervousness through gestures such as biting his lip or tapping his fingers. So far, the date was a disaster.

"We've been going about this all wrong." Daniel hadn't known how he should behave around Jack on a date, and that had added to the awkwardness of the evening. But he had finally figured why this was so hard. And more importantly, he had figured out a solution.

"Care to enlighten me?"

Daniel ignored the tone of voice and continued with his theory. "Jack, how many times have we eaten out together since we became friends?"

"Heaps." Jack started to relax a little, sensing that this conversation was not going to end in 'I don't think this is going to work'.

"And to the movies?"

"Same."

"So we've done this many times before."

"Your point being?" Jack wanted Daniel to cut to the chase.

"We were fine with the dating until we called it a date." Daniel was very calm about the fact that they had been dating for years, although he wished he had realised it at the time. Because the two of them were so dense, they had wasted all that time on doing other things rather that relationship things. Kissing came to mind, and Daniel's heart started beating faster. He really hoped that this evening would end in kissing.

"Hang on." Jack glanced briefly at Daniel, his own thoughts not nearly as calm. "We've never been on a date until tonight."

A smile appeared on Daniel's face. "Yes, we have. We just never got to the good stuff." Like kissing. And sex. And holding. Not necessarily in that order.

"So you're saying that we've been dating for years and neither of us realised it?" Jack hated to think he was that unaware.

"Yes."

"And now...?"

"Now that we know we're dating, we think we have to behave the way normal couples do when they start dating. That's why it was so awkward." Daniel smiled at Jack; it was all so simple. "All we have to do is act normally, and everything will be fine."

"Daniel, it's hard to act normally when you've got...stuff..." Jack changed his mind about what he was going to say, "on your mind." Stuff that had finally convinced him that he thought about Daniel as more than just a friend.

"Like what?"

"Daniel," Jack said in warning; he was not going to talk about his fantasies on the first official date.

"I just want to know." Daniel gave Jack his best innocent look. He flicked his gaze downwards to measure the effect his look had on Jack, and was interested to see the telltale bulge in Jack's trousers. He was turning Jack on right now. It was an interesting feeling to know that he was capable of doing that without even trying. When Jack didn't say anything, Daniel continued, "Do you want to do any of that 'stuff' with me tonight?"

Jack mentally cursed and gripped the steering wheel tighter as thoughts of them naked popped into his head. Trust Daniel to ask the hard questions. Well, the answer was easy - 'yes' - but there was no way he was going to say it. "How is this helping, Daniel? This isn't us acting normally."

"Well, the topic isn't but other than that, I think we are." Daniel was actually feeling much more relaxed, despite the topic being discussed. As Jack slowed the car down, Daniel glanced out the window to see his apartment block. They were home already. However, he didn't want the evening to end yet. "Would you like to come up for a coffee?"

Jack was about to say that he didn't want coffee when he realised what Daniel was actually asking. He wasn't presumptuous enough to believe that they were going to have sex - that wouldn't happen until they were more comfortable with the idea of being lovers - but there definitely could be some kissing and touching. That worked for him. "Sure."

They walked up to Daniel's apartment in silence, each man anticipating what would happen after they walked through the door. Daniel got his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door, his fingers trembling slightly, not from nerves but rather from anticipation. Inside, he dropped them onto the bench near the door, then proceeded through to the kitchen. He had been serious when asking about the coffee.

Hanging back, hands in his pockets, Jack watched Daniel brew the coffee. The linguist was more comfortable now he was back in his own surroundings - a direct contrast to Jack, who was getting more nervous by the second. He tried to calm himself by thinking that since it had been a lousy date, that the kissing could hardly be any worse but that didn't help.

"Jack, sit down." Daniel wandered back into the living area and saw Jack just standing there. Setting an example, Daniel sat down on the couch and smiled an invitation at the older man.

After staring at Daniel for a few seconds, Jack complied, taking a seat on the same couch but putting a metre of space in between him and the younger man. He would wait until Daniel indicated that it was alright to take things further.

An amused smile appeared on Daniel's face. Jack was certainly being the perfect gentleman, keeping his hands to himself in case they weren't wanted. While Daniel appreciated this, he didn't want Jack to be afraid of touching him; after all, Jack never used to be. Daniel moved closer to Jack until he was close enough to feel the heat of the other man's body. Then he looked directly into Jack's eyes. "Do you want to kiss me?"

"Well, duh. We're on a date." The sarcastic response was automatic. Jack immediately regretted it and looked away. "Sorry."

Daniel responded by turning his body towards to Jack. "We're supposed to be acting like ourselves, remember? You don't have to keep your distance, Jack."

"That was different. That was between friends." Jack could feel his heart speeding up at Daniel's proximity.

"So? We're still friends. This is just more." Daniel left Jack to think about that while he went to finish making his coffee.

He had just taken a mouthful of coffee when he felt two hands slide around his waist. He jumped, managing not to spill the coffee. Daniel put the cup down on the benchtop and then leaned back against Jack. "About time."

"I didn't want to presume," Jack stated, holding the young man loosely to him. "After all, the date was kind of a disaster, so I thought this part might be awkward too."

"A good kind of awkward." Daniel felt warm in Jack's embrace. He turned in Jack's arms and looked into the dark brown eyes. It was weird to be looking at Jack from this distance, so close he could see every line on Jack's face. He linked his hands behind Jack's neck so that the embrace was completed. "But I'm sure we'll get over it."

Jack moved one hand up Daniel's back to rest on his nape. "Practice makes perfect," he said, leaning in, his head tilted to the left.

"Exactly." Daniel closed his eyes as Jack's lips touched his. It was a tentative kiss but it sparked a reaction inside him. He pushed his groin gently into Jack's, feeling the growing erection rub against his. When they parted from the kiss, Daniel smiled at Jack; that had been good.

The sight of that smile made Jack relax. He had been worried that Daniel might not like it but he could see that the opposite was true. He took a step towards the cupboards and trapped Daniel against them. Then he leaned in for another kiss, wanting to see if it was equally as good.

This time there was more friction at hip height, still gentle but growing less so. Daniel pulled back reluctantly; as much as he was enjoying the kiss, he didn't want to take this too fast.

Jack caught a hint of that in Daniel's eyes and stopped pushing against him. He didn't want to risk this by going too fast. "Well, at least we got this part right," he commented.

"We'll work out the rest," Daniel said confidently. He slid his hands down Jack's chest and then around to his back. It felt good to have Jack pressed up against him like this.

"So you still want to keep dating?" Jack asked.

"Yes." He definitely did.

"Sweet." Jack kissed Daniel again, a promise of things to come. Then he reluctantly moved away. "I think I'd better leave before I ravish you."

"What if I want to be ravished?" Daniel stated, a hint of a smile on his lips. He quite liked the idea.

Jack groaned as the images that flooded his mind caused desire to pool in his groin. "Daniel!"

"Sorry." Daniel wasn't the least bit contrite. "I agree, it's probably not a good idea tonight." They should wait until they were more comfortable with their new relationship.

"No, it's not." Jack paused, smiling softly at his new boyfriend. "Goodnight, Danny."

"Goodnight." Daniel kept his eyes on Jack as the older man left the apartment, then he picked up his coffee again. Well, the date had been a disaster but it hadn't spoiled things between them. Neither had the kissing, which had been better than he had expected. Now Daniel had some thinking to do on just how fast or slow he wanted to take the next step.

Next: Will You Stop Thinking!