I've Been Thinking... 3

Will You Stop Thinking!

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/thinking03.php
Summary: Jack and Daniel try a more relaxed date

Daniel looked at the picture on the screen and tilted his head to the side. Was that even possible? He didn't think it was but the evidence suggested otherwise. Still, it wasn't something he was keen to try at the moment.

"Hey."

Daniel jumped and quickly minimised the picture. "Hey," he said casually.

"Whatcha looking at?" Jack asked, coming to stand behind Daniel.

"Nothing." He wasn't going to admit to what he had been doing, especially since it was on SGC time. "You know, I've been thinking--"

"Here we go again," Jack muttered, moving away from Daniel and resting against the edge of the desk. "What have you been thinking about?"

"You know." There was no way Daniel was going to talk about this on base.

"Do I?" Jack's lips twitched into a maddening smile.

With what he hoped was a coy smile, Daniel leaned forward. As he did so, he heard footsteps outside his office. "You want me to say it?" he said in a low voice.

"Oh yes."

Daniel grinned and sat back again. "Hockey." He relished the bewildered look Jack gave him just before Sam entered the room. Then the older man's face became a bemused mask.

"What about hockey?" Sam asked, looking from one man to the other. She had the feeling that she had just interrupted something.

"I was just telling Jack that I'm beginning to understand the interest he has in hockey." He wasn't really talking about hockey, of course, and he hoped Jack would work that out. "He invited me around to watch the game the other night and it turned out to be quite interesting," he continued innocently.

Sam groaned. "Don't tell me he's finally brainwashed you," she complained half-seriously.

"No." Daniel gave Jack a little grin, so quick that Sam missed it. "I just let myself be more open towards it and found that I actually liked it." Jack would get the meaning of those words; he wasn't as dumb as he acted.

"Uh-huh." There was definitely more behind Daniel's words, and Sam decided that she didn't want to know. "I just came down to see if you had translated that tablet we found on P2X-184."

"Almost. It's a variation of Greek," Daniel told her, knowing she wanted to test the device that the tablet had come with. "As near as I can figure, though, the device was used in wedding ceremonies and it was supposed to light up if the two people were truly intended to be together."

"Handy," Jack murmured, wondering whether he and Daniel could test it out. No, better not. He didn't want to know if Daniel wasn't meant to be his.

"Why?" Sam asked Daniel, disappointed but still curious.

"I'm not sure." The explanation had intrigued him too as he had been translating it. "I think it might be something to do with the blessing of the gods, or something similar. I haven't translated all of that part yet."

"Okay. I'll let you get back to it then." Sam gave them both a parting smile and then left.

"Hockey, Daniel?" Jack queried as soon as he figured Carter was out of earshot.

"What about it?" Daniel looked innocently back at Jack.

"Did you really like it?"

"What, I wasn't clear enough on Saturday?" Daniel thought he had let Jack know clearly what his feelings were. Okay, so they had only kissed three times, but surely that was enough to work things out with... wasn't it?

"Maybe you should come over tonight, watch another game, see if you still like it," Jack suggested, borrowing Daniel's method of talking in metaphors. If he could get Daniel to his place, on his nice spacious couch... Better not to think about that while at work, he chided himself, aware of a growing arousal.

"I think I will. Seven suit you?" That would give him plenty of time to get the translation done before going over to Jack's. Daniel's eyes briefly focused on Jack's lips as he wondered whether they would get to do more kissing tonight - or maybe even go further.

"Seven's fine," Jack replied. "Don't be late or you'll miss the start," he said with a grin.

The start of what, Daniel wondered as Jack left the office. Surely Jack wouldn't start without him... That thought caused an immediate reaction and Daniel shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't used to thinking of Jack in those terms so he was surprised by how much the thought turned him on. Would Jack do that for him one day when they were more comfortable with each other? Daniel couldn't imagine reciprocating for Jack because he was by nature shy about his body. Maybe with Jack, that would change.

Daniel turned back to his computer and re-opened the file he had been studying. He tilted his head again. No, he still couldn't work out how it was possible. Daniel went on to the next picture. Now that was more like it...

~ ~ ~

Motivated by the pictures and instructions he had found, Daniel made it to Jack's place right on seven o'clock. He had briefly thought about turning up early but had decided that he didn't want to seem too eager. But when Jack opened the door, Daniel forgot all about not appearing eager. Jack was dressed in tight black jeans, and his light-blue shirt was unbuttoned to show the white t-shirt underneath. Daniel was hit by a wave of desire, and it was all he could do to bring his eyes back up to Jack's face.

Jack grinned, seeing the desire he felt mirrored in Daniel's eyes. It felt good that Daniel was looking at him that way - after all, Daniel was the beautiful one in the relationship. Would be the beautiful one in the relationship, once they actually admitted that they were in a relationship. Jack was getting old, his knees hurt in cold weather, and his body was scarred from his work in Special Ops. He guessed that he must still have some sex appeal despite all that if Daniel thought him desirable. Although Daniel hadn't noticed before 'the date' so obviously his sex appeal was fading fast. Or maybe Daniel was just oblivious... yeah, that was more like it. Confident in himself again, Jack then managed to get his mouth back in working order. "Hi."

"Hi." Daniel stuck his hands in his pockets, becoming self-conscious as Jack racked his eyes over him. He had chosen a plain white jumper - thin because of the warm weather - over a white t-shirt, and blue cord jeans. It was similar to what he normally wore but a little dressier than usual; he had wanted to make this date more special than the 'hanging out' dates.

"Come in." Jack stood back to let Daniel into the house, then slowly closed the door behind the linguist. He was trying to avoid looking at Daniel, especially at anything below the waist, because he didn't want to start anything just yet. Jack was still unsure as to how fast Daniel wanted to take things, and he had already decided to keep his hands to himself until he knew. But boy, did Daniel look good in those jeans!

Daniel sat down tentatively on the couch. Despite his saying the other night that they should try to act normally on these dates, it was easier said than done. Especially since he was having non-platonic thoughts about his friend.

"Have you eaten?" Jack enquired.

"No." Besides being engrossed in his translation, Daniel had been too nervous - or excited, one or the other - to eat.

"Just as well I ordered take-away for us then." There were some advantages to knowing Daniel so well. "It should be here in a few minutes. So in the meantime, what were you going to say earlier before Carter interrupted?" Jack sat down on the couch, leaving a bit of space in between him and Daniel.

"Oh, that." Daniel wasn't sure he could tell Jack what he had been researching. He felt his cheeks redden, and he looked down at his hands, embarrassed.

Jack was intrigued by the faint blush on Daniel's cheeks. "Come on, spill."

"I've been thinking about... the physical stuff." Saying 'sex' to Jack when they were talking about themselves was just too weird for Daniel. "You know... what comes after kissing."

Jack certainly did know what came after kissing and he couldn't wait to reach that stage. "And?"

It was so weird talking to Jack about this stuff. "And... although it looks - interesting - I'm not sure I'm ready for the whole thing yet," Daniel managed to state while studiously looking at his hands.

"Too weird?" Jack knew exactly how that felt, although he was quite sure that he wouldn't be worrying about that when the time came to get more physical.

"Yeah." Him and Jack naked - he couldn't imagine that yet.

"Okay, so we're going slow then." It was more a statement than a question. "I'm taking it that you've never done this before with a man." Daniel was too nervous to be experienced in this area.

"No. Have you?" Daniel looked sideways at Jack, not sure whether he wanted the answer to be 'yes' or 'no'. If 'yes', then at least one of them would have experience, but Daniel would be jealous. If 'no', well, they would both be learning together.

Jack paused. "A little bit."

This made Daniel lift his head. "Define 'a little bit'." How could one have 'a little bit' of experience?

"Stress relief on missions," Jack clarified. "Nothing fancy." Not that it hadn't been offered though.

"Oh." Daniel turned his gaze back to his hands.

The doorbell rang, interrupting the conversation. Jack answered it, collected the Chinese take-away, and brought it back into the living room. He put everything on the table, then went and collected some plates and utensils just in case they were needed. He also got a beer for himself, and poured the coffee that he had been brewing for Daniel. Then he sat down on the couch, turned the television on with the volume low, and started eating. Daniel followed suit, and there was no more conversation for a while.

When all the food was gone and Jack had cleared the rubbish away, an awkward expection hung in the air. What should they do next? Should they watch something on television or just get straight to the kissing? Jack knew which one he was voting for but what if Daniel didn't want that? There was only one way to find out. And Daniel did indicate that he shouldn't be hesitant to touch.

As he reached out, Daniel stood up and closed all the curtains in the living room so that no-one could see in, then settled back on the couch next to Jack. Right next to Jack. Any closer, and he would be sitting on Jack's lap. "Hi."

"Hi." Jack thoroughly approved of the seating arrangements, although Daniel sitting on him would be better. He put his arm around Daniel's shoulders and pulled him close. Daniel turned his head towards him, and it was the most natural thing for Jack to just lean in and kiss him.

Daniel didn't know where to put his hands. Awkwardly, he rested one on Jack's chest while the other found its way onto Jack's thigh - it was too difficult to put it anywhere else. The kiss was just as good as the other night - warm, sweet and pleasantly arousing. It had been a long time - if one didn't count the other night - since he had shared a kiss like this. It was strange to think that Jack was the one causing these sensations, when only three days ago Daniel hadn't thought of him as anything other than a friend. Things had changed so rapidly that Daniel's head was spinning - or maybe that was just the lack of oxygen to his brain.

Jack pulled back slightly and looked at Daniel's face. "Stop thinking!" he demanded, knowing exactly what was going on inside Daniel's head.

"I can't help it," Daniel responded as he opened his eyes slowly and smiled. "I mean, this is just so..."

"Weird, yeah, I know, you've mentioned that." Jack was a little put out that his kisses weren't frying Daniel's brain. That seemed to call for desperate measures. He put his hand under Daniel's sweater and untucked the shirt. Then he put his hand on bare skin. A soft sigh and a gasp escaped him at the feeling of finally touching skin. No, wait, the gasp had been Daniel's. "How's this?"

"Good." Unexpectedly good. He could feel the rough callouses on Jack's fingers lightly scratching his skin - that's what had caused the gasp. "Jack--"

"Too much?" Jack didn't want to push this too fast - well, actually, he did. Now that he was doing this, he wanted to keep going until they had sex. But he didn't think that Daniel was at the same stage yet.

Daniel considered his response carefully. "No. It's just..."

"Weird," they said together.

"Yeah," Daniel said, chuckling over how well Jack knew him. His breathed hitched as Jack slid his fingers higher. "So, uh, when did you know you had feelings for me?" he asked, trying to distract Jack - although for what reason he didn't know.

"Ooh, right about the time you died from that light addiction," Jack replied. "No, actually, it was when I saw you about to jump from your balcony." That was when he had admitted his feelings to himself. "My heart almost stopped. Then when you died, I carried you through the gate and all I could think was 'don't leave me, Daniel'. I still don't know how the planet revived you but I'm glad it did."

"Only glad?" Daniel queried, his lips curving into smile.

"Ecstatic, over the moon, joyful, insouciant," Jack amended.

Daniel raised his eyebrows at the last word. "Wow, a word with more than three syllables. You must have been glad," he teased.

"Hey, I know big words." Jack moved his hand around to Daniel's chest, brushing over a nipple and eliciting another gasp. "Can I see you?" he asked, wanting to be able to see what he was touching.

Daniel hesitated; he was used to showering next to Jack at the SGC but this was totally different. But, he argued with himself, you're going to have to do it sometime. "Okay." He pulled his sweater off and started to remove the t-shirt before Jack stopped him.

"Allow me." At Daniel's nod, Jack lifted the t-shirt over the linguist's head to bare his torso. Then Jack reverently allowed his fingers to glide over the smooth skin, exploring every inch and revelling in what it was doing to Daniel; the gasps and rapid breathing were a dead giveaway.

All too soon, though, Daniel removed Jack's hands. "My turn," he said. He pushed the open shirt off Jack's shoulders and down his arms. Then he let his fingers explore Jack's chest which was so different to his own. The chest hair was as grey as the hair on Jack's head, and Daniel thought that was very interesting.

"You're thinking again," Jack commented dryly.

"Can you honestly tell me you're not?" Daniel replied. He let his fingers come to rest on Jack's shoulders. "I mean, we've been friends for four years. Are you telling me that you don't find this the slightest bit strange?"

"Okay, I admit that I do find this strange," Jack conceded. "But I also find this right." There was a certain rightness to the whole idea of him and Daniel together. He wrapped his arms around Daniel's torso, holding him tight against his chest, their faces only an inch apart.

"Me too," Daniel admitted softly. This was right. He and Jack fitted together. But that didn't mean that their relationship was going to be easy or smooth. Slowly, he leaned in to kiss Jack again, his hands coming up to cup Jack's face. He could feel the stubble underneath his fingers, and it surprised him that he liked it. It was so different than being with a woman but that was what made it exciting. His previous relationships hadn't been very exciting - that might have just been him, or it might have been the women who chose him; sweet but very ordinary was how he would describe his marriage to Sha're His relationship with Jack would be anything but ordinary. And it would also be safe because he knew that Jack would never hurt him.

"Will you stop thinking!" Jack protested against Daniel's lips.

Daniel just smiled. No, he would never stop thinking about this but when he became more comfortable with the physical aspects, then maybe he would just be able to go with the flow.

Jack drew back to see the smile on Daniel's face. "Whatcha smiling at?"

"You."

"Oh." Jack wondered what kind of thoughts had put that smile on Daniel's face. "So, do you want to stay the night? See what happens?"

"Not tonight, Jack." He wouldn't be comfortable with it. "This is good for now."

"Okay then." Jack drew Daniel back in for another kiss. He knew that when he could get Daniel to stop thinking, that would be the time when they could make love because Daniel would be ready for more. Now what could he do to hurry things along?

Next: Thinking Is Overrated