In Time: The Upside of Sunburns
Title: The Upside of Sunburns
Summary: Jack gets a bad sunburn off-world and Sam takes care of him.
Timeframe: None.
Pairings: Sam/Jack
Genre: General, Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Rating: G.
The Upside of Sunburns
Ducking beneath the flap of the tent and letting herself in, Sam took a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She shuffled toward the figure laying on the ground at the back of the tent, hunched over because the roof of the tent was too short to allow her to stand.
“Colonel?” she called tentatively into the darkness, carrying a large bowl of water over to him, a few folded cloths slung over her left arm. Kneeling down, she set the bowl aside and gazed at his prone form studiously.
“Mrph,” came the muffled groan. He was flat on his stomach, shirtless, his face buried in arms folded in front of him.
Sam grimaced, knowing that he was in pain and would most likely be irritable with the next question she posed. “How are you feeling, sir?”
He lifted his head slightly, peering at her with narrowed eyes. “Burnt,” he nearly growled, “How do ya think I’m feeling, Major?”
She couldn’t help smiling gently, despite his gruff tone. Jack’s silver hair was adorably fluffed and poking out in all directions. “Daniel and I warned you about wearing sunscreen sir,” Sam said plainly in an ‘I-told-you-so’ manner. “The MALP showed us that this planet is much closer to it’s two suns this time of year and-”
“Ack!” He abruptly cut her off, dropping his head back down onto folded arms. “I don’t wanna hear it Carter,” he muttered in a muffled, defeated tone. “I got what I deserved, okay?”
“Yes sir,” Sam said quietly, not about to argue with him, however much she disagreed. In her opinion, he really didn’t deserve to be this badly sun burnt, and she knew he must have been feeling a good amount of hurt.
Jack inwardly cursed himself, wishing that he’d left his shirt on, despite the heat, when one of the native men had taken him to the fishing hole. He’d been so amazed at the size and quantity of the fish they’d been catching, it never registered that he was slowly being baked by the planet’s two suns.
“I brought some stuff for your back sir,” Sam set down the dry cloths by the water bowl and pulled a circular container of ointment from her BDU pants’ pocket.
Languidly turning his head in her direction, Jack made a move to push himself up with his arms and grimaced. Then Sam’s hand shot out to gently touch his shoulder and he paused.
“Stay put sir,” she told him gently with a comforting smile. “I can put it on for you,”
He nodded, laying back down carefully. Jack’s eyes tracked her movements lazily as she unscrewed the cap on the ointment and collected a good amount on her hand. It smelled like aloe and mint. He then felt it contact his burning skin as she began gingerly spreading it over his sunburned back. Sucking in a hissed breath, he winced, then heaved a sigh of relief at the cooling numbness that washed over him.
“How does that feel, Colonel?” she asked softly, finishing up with the ointment on his back, and wiping the excess on her pants.
“Better,” he breathed gratefully.
“Good,” Sam nodded with a smile. She bent forward a little more to get a look at his face, but it wasn’t red. His baseball cap had luckily shaded his face enough for it not to get burnt. Lightly touching his jaw, she pulled her hand back and smiled sheepishly when his chin jerked toward her. “Sorry sir,” her cheeks flushed, and she was suddenly grateful for the lack of good lighting, “Just checking to see if your face got burned,”
“No,” he told her softly, “It’s fine,”
“Yes sir,” Sam turned her head towards the water bowl when she realized she’d been staring at him. Dipping a cloth in the cold water, she wrung it out a little, then laid it over his back. She smiled when he heaved a sigh at the cool contact. “This will help too,” she assured him gently.
“Mrm,” Jack murmured contently, relaxing his head against his arms again and closing his eyes. He’d been a little ashamed to admit to himself how much he’d enjoyed her hands on his burning back, spreading the cooling ointment. Especially since it had less to do with the medicinal effects of the ointment, and more to do with the feel of her gentle, soothing hands on his bare skin.
Getting up for a moment, Sam walked half-crouched over to the entrance and lifted the tent flap, poking her head outside. Daniel and Teal’c were still seated around the fire, having just finished their MREs. Ducking back inside the tent, she sat down at Jack’s side once more. “Are you hungry sir? Would you like me to get you an MRE?”
Opening one eye, Jack made a face. He would have much rather eaten one of the fish he’d caught earlier, so that it would almost make his sun burn worth it, but the native man had taken the food back to his village, and Carter had warned him that she suspected the fish may be poisonous to them and wouldn’t recommend eating it until they had a chance to test the food.
“What’s left?” he asked, severely disinterested in the food they had. He watched patiently as Sam briefly chewed her lower lip in thought. He loved when she did that.
“Um, tuna casserole and roast beef with mixed veggies I think,”
Jack made another face, then muttered, “Nah, I’ll pass,”
Sam looked down at him worriedly, then carefully peeled the wet cloth from his back. His skin had begun to blister and looked pretty painful, but she hoped the ointment had numbed and cooled the burns enough for now.
Soaking the cloth again, she laid if over his back once more and then reached for her canteen. Gently nudging Jack’s elbow, she held it out to him. “Here sir, have a drink,”
He lifted his head once more, opening both eyes this time. “Is it beer?”
She laughed softly, shaking her head. “No sir, just water I’m afraid,”
With an exaggerated sigh, Jack shifted to his side, propping himself up on an elbow. He took the offered canteen and drank greedily, surprised at his own thirst. Finished, he handed it back to her and laid flat once more.
“You know Carter,” he mumbled after a few minutes’ silence. “You don’t gotta stick around and baby me. Go sit by the fire with the Daniel and Teal’c,” His eyes were still closed.
Sam didn’t look at all taken aback by his seeming dismissal of her. She knew he wasn’t really pushing her away, but letting her know that he was okay if she didn’t want to be there.
“What if I want to stay?” she whispered bravely, suggestively. After all the little awkward moments, she wasn’t entirely sure what had come over her. Maybe it was her concern for him, or the fact that she had been breaking down his defensive wall little by little, or because she was getting sick and tired of hiding how she felt about him and wanted to know if he felt the same. Maybe it was all of the above.
Jack just tilted his head at her, brows furrowed slightly before he quirked a lopsided smile. Then, surprisingly, he reached out with his left arm and gently took her hand. “Well…” he paused, his deep brown eyes penetrating her blue ones and revealing just enough to let her know that he reciprocated her feelings, even if they both confirmed nothing aloud. “Then I suppose there’s an upside to this sunburn thing after all,”
Giggling softly, Sam nodded and rubbed her thumb against his hand. She smiled at him and settled down for the night, prepared to stay and watch over him. The smile never left her face.
-The End-
Summary: Jack gets a bad sunburn off-world and Sam takes care of him.
Timeframe: None.
Pairings: Sam/Jack
Genre: General, Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Rating: G.
The Upside of Sunburns
Ducking beneath the flap of the tent and letting herself in, Sam took a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She shuffled toward the figure laying on the ground at the back of the tent, hunched over because the roof of the tent was too short to allow her to stand.
“Colonel?” she called tentatively into the darkness, carrying a large bowl of water over to him, a few folded cloths slung over her left arm. Kneeling down, she set the bowl aside and gazed at his prone form studiously.
“Mrph,” came the muffled groan. He was flat on his stomach, shirtless, his face buried in arms folded in front of him.
Sam grimaced, knowing that he was in pain and would most likely be irritable with the next question she posed. “How are you feeling, sir?”
He lifted his head slightly, peering at her with narrowed eyes. “Burnt,” he nearly growled, “How do ya think I’m feeling, Major?”
She couldn’t help smiling gently, despite his gruff tone. Jack’s silver hair was adorably fluffed and poking out in all directions. “Daniel and I warned you about wearing sunscreen sir,” Sam said plainly in an ‘I-told-you-so’ manner. “The MALP showed us that this planet is much closer to it’s two suns this time of year and-”
“Ack!” He abruptly cut her off, dropping his head back down onto folded arms. “I don’t wanna hear it Carter,” he muttered in a muffled, defeated tone. “I got what I deserved, okay?”
“Yes sir,” Sam said quietly, not about to argue with him, however much she disagreed. In her opinion, he really didn’t deserve to be this badly sun burnt, and she knew he must have been feeling a good amount of hurt.
Jack inwardly cursed himself, wishing that he’d left his shirt on, despite the heat, when one of the native men had taken him to the fishing hole. He’d been so amazed at the size and quantity of the fish they’d been catching, it never registered that he was slowly being baked by the planet’s two suns.
“I brought some stuff for your back sir,” Sam set down the dry cloths by the water bowl and pulled a circular container of ointment from her BDU pants’ pocket.
Languidly turning his head in her direction, Jack made a move to push himself up with his arms and grimaced. Then Sam’s hand shot out to gently touch his shoulder and he paused.
“Stay put sir,” she told him gently with a comforting smile. “I can put it on for you,”
He nodded, laying back down carefully. Jack’s eyes tracked her movements lazily as she unscrewed the cap on the ointment and collected a good amount on her hand. It smelled like aloe and mint. He then felt it contact his burning skin as she began gingerly spreading it over his sunburned back. Sucking in a hissed breath, he winced, then heaved a sigh of relief at the cooling numbness that washed over him.
“How does that feel, Colonel?” she asked softly, finishing up with the ointment on his back, and wiping the excess on her pants.
“Better,” he breathed gratefully.
“Good,” Sam nodded with a smile. She bent forward a little more to get a look at his face, but it wasn’t red. His baseball cap had luckily shaded his face enough for it not to get burnt. Lightly touching his jaw, she pulled her hand back and smiled sheepishly when his chin jerked toward her. “Sorry sir,” her cheeks flushed, and she was suddenly grateful for the lack of good lighting, “Just checking to see if your face got burned,”
“No,” he told her softly, “It’s fine,”
“Yes sir,” Sam turned her head towards the water bowl when she realized she’d been staring at him. Dipping a cloth in the cold water, she wrung it out a little, then laid it over his back. She smiled when he heaved a sigh at the cool contact. “This will help too,” she assured him gently.
“Mrm,” Jack murmured contently, relaxing his head against his arms again and closing his eyes. He’d been a little ashamed to admit to himself how much he’d enjoyed her hands on his burning back, spreading the cooling ointment. Especially since it had less to do with the medicinal effects of the ointment, and more to do with the feel of her gentle, soothing hands on his bare skin.
Getting up for a moment, Sam walked half-crouched over to the entrance and lifted the tent flap, poking her head outside. Daniel and Teal’c were still seated around the fire, having just finished their MREs. Ducking back inside the tent, she sat down at Jack’s side once more. “Are you hungry sir? Would you like me to get you an MRE?”
Opening one eye, Jack made a face. He would have much rather eaten one of the fish he’d caught earlier, so that it would almost make his sun burn worth it, but the native man had taken the food back to his village, and Carter had warned him that she suspected the fish may be poisonous to them and wouldn’t recommend eating it until they had a chance to test the food.
“What’s left?” he asked, severely disinterested in the food they had. He watched patiently as Sam briefly chewed her lower lip in thought. He loved when she did that.
“Um, tuna casserole and roast beef with mixed veggies I think,”
Jack made another face, then muttered, “Nah, I’ll pass,”
Sam looked down at him worriedly, then carefully peeled the wet cloth from his back. His skin had begun to blister and looked pretty painful, but she hoped the ointment had numbed and cooled the burns enough for now.
Soaking the cloth again, she laid if over his back once more and then reached for her canteen. Gently nudging Jack’s elbow, she held it out to him. “Here sir, have a drink,”
He lifted his head once more, opening both eyes this time. “Is it beer?”
She laughed softly, shaking her head. “No sir, just water I’m afraid,”
With an exaggerated sigh, Jack shifted to his side, propping himself up on an elbow. He took the offered canteen and drank greedily, surprised at his own thirst. Finished, he handed it back to her and laid flat once more.
“You know Carter,” he mumbled after a few minutes’ silence. “You don’t gotta stick around and baby me. Go sit by the fire with the Daniel and Teal’c,” His eyes were still closed.
Sam didn’t look at all taken aback by his seeming dismissal of her. She knew he wasn’t really pushing her away, but letting her know that he was okay if she didn’t want to be there.
“What if I want to stay?” she whispered bravely, suggestively. After all the little awkward moments, she wasn’t entirely sure what had come over her. Maybe it was her concern for him, or the fact that she had been breaking down his defensive wall little by little, or because she was getting sick and tired of hiding how she felt about him and wanted to know if he felt the same. Maybe it was all of the above.
Jack just tilted his head at her, brows furrowed slightly before he quirked a lopsided smile. Then, surprisingly, he reached out with his left arm and gently took her hand. “Well…” he paused, his deep brown eyes penetrating her blue ones and revealing just enough to let her know that he reciprocated her feelings, even if they both confirmed nothing aloud. “Then I suppose there’s an upside to this sunburn thing after all,”
Giggling softly, Sam nodded and rubbed her thumb against his hand. She smiled at him and settled down for the night, prepared to stay and watch over him. The smile never left her face.
-The End-