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sidSummary: Jack finally makes his move. ~600 words. Angsty humor? Not quite my usual
IN THESE DREAMS
It was the one answer Jack hadn’t anticipated. The world abruptly tilted five degrees and he scrambled to regain his mental footing.
All the time he’d spent running scenarios in his head… all the shouting, all the punches to the jaw, all the kisses (the sweet and the fierce and the sloppy), all the times he’d been coldly shown the door, warmly embraced, awkwardly, gently refused, dragged to the bedroom or down on the living room floor… not once had he envisioned this.
“I’m seeing someone.”
Daniel’s words hung in the air and the silence stretched.
“Well,” Jack finally managed. “Don’t I feel like an idiot.”
“Jack.”
“No. No, no. Just…” Jack turned towards the door. It was only about a mile away and uphill. “Just let me get out of here.”
“Jack, no. Listen.” Daniel followed him.
“Not listening. No listening. Not one word. Daniel, not another word.” Jack lurched the last step to the door and gripped the knob.
“No, Jack, you have to…”
“Be going,” Jack said firmly. “Sorry I disturbed your evening. Disturbed you, probably. Hell, I know I’m disturbed.” He swung the door open and stepped into the hallway.
“Jack, let me… come on, Jack! You can’t just leave after that. You have to listen… Jack, you know how much….”
Jack spun on his heel, fists clenched. “Not another word. Don’t you dare.”
Daniel smacked the door with the palm of his hand. “Fine! All right? You know what? Make it harder on yourself. See if I care.”
“What would make it harder,” Jack said, willing his voice to remain steady, “would be listening to you saying all the right things. You’ll excuse me if I pass on that pleasure.”
Daniel gaped for a second. “You think….” His face reddened. He reached out and grabbed Jack by the arm. “Get your butt back in here.”
Jack had never heard quite that tone of voice coming from Daniel Jackson before. He let himself be pulled through the doorway.
“You really are an idiot.”
Jack slid his hands, which weren’t shaking at all, into his pockets. “That’s already been established.”
Daniel snorted, sounding more like an angry bull than an amused man. He shoved at Jack’s shoulder, not hard. “Stop that.”
Jack rocked a little.
“You and me… you and me together, world’s worst idea.”
Jack rocked again.
“Seriously.” Daniel looked at him with a mournful face and eyes that invited him to see reason. “You’d want to kill me within a month. Probably sooner. Seriously.”
Jack shifted his shoulders uneasily.
“You thought I was going to say something soppy, didn’t you? Something about how much I care, and how honored I am and how I really wish things were different?” Daniel waggled his head back and forth, a smile beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth.
Jack lowered his head and pursed his lips.
“When have I ever said things just to make you feel better?”
Jack sniffed.
“Never. Right. We’d be a disaster. Better to forget about it.”
Jack cleared his throat.
Daniel eased to his side and threw an arm around Jack’s shoulders. “Come on in the kitchen and I’ll give you a beer and you can interrogate me about Bjorn. Come on.”
Jack began to shuffle forward, surprised and relieved to find the ground level beneath his feet. “What, you’re dating a Viking?”
Daniel laughed and squeezed his shoulder. It felt good. It was always going to feel good. Jack smiled, just a little.
“Does Thor know?”
~~~~
Now a WIP: Chapter Two, 'Scenes from a Mall'
IN THESE DREAMS
It was the one answer Jack hadn’t anticipated. The world abruptly tilted five degrees and he scrambled to regain his mental footing.
All the time he’d spent running scenarios in his head… all the shouting, all the punches to the jaw, all the kisses (the sweet and the fierce and the sloppy), all the times he’d been coldly shown the door, warmly embraced, awkwardly, gently refused, dragged to the bedroom or down on the living room floor… not once had he envisioned this.
“I’m seeing someone.”
Daniel’s words hung in the air and the silence stretched.
“Well,” Jack finally managed. “Don’t I feel like an idiot.”
“Jack.”
“No. No, no. Just…” Jack turned towards the door. It was only about a mile away and uphill. “Just let me get out of here.”
“Jack, no. Listen.” Daniel followed him.
“Not listening. No listening. Not one word. Daniel, not another word.” Jack lurched the last step to the door and gripped the knob.
“No, Jack, you have to…”
“Be going,” Jack said firmly. “Sorry I disturbed your evening. Disturbed you, probably. Hell, I know I’m disturbed.” He swung the door open and stepped into the hallway.
“Jack, let me… come on, Jack! You can’t just leave after that. You have to listen… Jack, you know how much….”
Jack spun on his heel, fists clenched. “Not another word. Don’t you dare.”
Daniel smacked the door with the palm of his hand. “Fine! All right? You know what? Make it harder on yourself. See if I care.”
“What would make it harder,” Jack said, willing his voice to remain steady, “would be listening to you saying all the right things. You’ll excuse me if I pass on that pleasure.”
Daniel gaped for a second. “You think….” His face reddened. He reached out and grabbed Jack by the arm. “Get your butt back in here.”
Jack had never heard quite that tone of voice coming from Daniel Jackson before. He let himself be pulled through the doorway.
“You really are an idiot.”
Jack slid his hands, which weren’t shaking at all, into his pockets. “That’s already been established.”
Daniel snorted, sounding more like an angry bull than an amused man. He shoved at Jack’s shoulder, not hard. “Stop that.”
Jack rocked a little.
“You and me… you and me together, world’s worst idea.”
Jack rocked again.
“Seriously.” Daniel looked at him with a mournful face and eyes that invited him to see reason. “You’d want to kill me within a month. Probably sooner. Seriously.”
Jack shifted his shoulders uneasily.
“You thought I was going to say something soppy, didn’t you? Something about how much I care, and how honored I am and how I really wish things were different?” Daniel waggled his head back and forth, a smile beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth.
Jack lowered his head and pursed his lips.
“When have I ever said things just to make you feel better?”
Jack sniffed.
“Never. Right. We’d be a disaster. Better to forget about it.”
Jack cleared his throat.
Daniel eased to his side and threw an arm around Jack’s shoulders. “Come on in the kitchen and I’ll give you a beer and you can interrogate me about Bjorn. Come on.”
Jack began to shuffle forward, surprised and relieved to find the ground level beneath his feet. “What, you’re dating a Viking?”
Daniel laughed and squeezed his shoulder. It felt good. It was always going to feel good. Jack smiled, just a little.
“Does Thor know?”
~~~~
Now a WIP: Chapter Two, 'Scenes from a Mall'
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 02:31 pm (UTC)Daniel will break up with Bjorn inside a week and Jack will be there with the shoulder to cry on ;)
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 02:36 pm (UTC)Deeds xx
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 03:24 pm (UTC)You're even meaner than I am, you know that?
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 03:32 pm (UTC)perfect. just perfect!
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 04:11 pm (UTC)Thank you, that is all.
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 05:09 pm (UTC)And I bet Thor introduced them. :oD
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 06:05 pm (UTC)Daniel surprised me here and so did you. Totally unexpected reaction.
You rocketh. :-))
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 06:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 07:54 pm (UTC)Yikes, poor Jack! But it's a totally possible thing for Daniel to say. Love the set-up -- that second paragraph is so wonderful, and the beat of Daniel's statement so perfectly timed -- and the salvaging of the friendship.
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 08:18 pm (UTC)He's talkin' about his feelings here, and Daniel's boyfriend is Bjorn? Oy. Like, as in ABBA??
Still, this sitch is cool: if Daniel doesn't want him ...
I like this, it's an unexpected twist.
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 09:47 pm (UTC)::plans to join::
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 09:51 pm (UTC)Such very Jack humour - thank heavens it ended on light note, so I'll be smiling as I hunt down Bjorn and send him on a one-way trip to Valhalla.
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:13 pm (UTC)*eg*
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:28 pm (UTC)(I suppose that makes it worse? Oh, well.)
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:31 pm (UTC)"Asgard Dating Service. Thor speaking."
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:41 pm (UTC)Look at it this way. Daniel's obviously given this whole thing with Jack a lot of thought, right?
So all we need is for Bjorn to take a job transfer to Zimbabwe and then for circumstances to prove to Daniel that he had it all wrong...
See? All better. :-)
See? *pets you and your icon some more*
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:46 pm (UTC)Thank you! *hugs comment tightly*
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:50 pm (UTC)*grin* You got us all good. You wrote that just so that all of the hardcore J'D'ers would cry into their suppers, right? 'Cause this...
Jack lowered his head and pursed his lips.
“When have I ever said things just to make you feel better?”
Jack sniffed.
“Never. Right. We’d be a disaster. Better to forget about it.”
You made Jack CRY! *hugs him*
(no subject)
Date: Sep. 9th, 2008 11:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Sep. 10th, 2008 12:20 am (UTC)I'm glad you liked the twist - it's very unexpected coming from me!