Life On Mars: An SPD-SG1 crossover
Title: Life on Mars (title ripped from the BBC drama of the same name)
Summary: Jack gets to go off base.
Rating: PG-13
Sky sighed in relief as he walked out of the Mountain, Jack at his side, looking about him curiously. It was the first time Jack had been out of Cheyenne Mountain, permission to take him off base only just coming through, and he had no doubt that there was going to be a lot about Earth Jack wouldn’t understand. Still, it was good to be out of the Mountain, he’d been all but living there since he’d managed to come back from his first solo mission with a husband he’d met two days before. The connotations of the marriage meant that he couldn’t go home to his apartment without Jack, and therefore he was stuck on base until Jack was allowed out into the wide world.
They’d managed to get out of the base alright, but the first sticking point came at the parking lot. Jack had stared at the cars in non-comprehension and Sky was just glad there was no one else around that he’d have to explain this to. He climbed into the driver’s side of his car, then opened the door for Jack to get in. Jack stuck his head in and looked around before he actually got in, shifting a little on the seat to get comfortable. Demonstrating the seatbelts, Sky turned on the engine, but before he could start the car, the next snag hit. He’d forgotten about the radio. With the radio set to activate when the engine was turned on, it had automatically started playing when he’d turned the ignition key and Jack had all but jumped out his seat in shock, leaning against the door as far away from the noise as possible, his hands covering his ears.
Sky winced and switched the radio off, Jack’s hands coming cautiously down before he ducked his head a little trying to work out where the noise had either come from or gone, Sky wasn’t sure which. Deciding to play it safe he didn’t switch the radio back on, driving them back to his apartment in relative silence. Passing a convenience store he stopped and reversed the car, parking it a moment later. Considering how long it had been since he’d been back to his apartment, there was probably very little there that would be edible and that needed to be remedied. He couldn’t exactly take his husband home and not be able to feed him. His mother would throw a fit.
“Stay here,” he said firmly and Jack gave him a resigned look. It was one phrase he’d picked up relatively quickly, one that he held in contempt most of the time, but Sky hoped that this time at least, Jack would listen.
He made his way quickly round the store, picking up the basics for that evening. Anything else he could get from the supermarket the next day. He paused at the fruit juice section and dropped a few bottles of orange juice into the basket. The day Jack had discovered orange juice was the day his sanity officially came under attack. Cautious at first, Jack’s eyes had widened in surprise, then he’d drunk the entire glass in one go, with every evidence of enjoyment. For some reason, when he’d given Sky that expectant look, Sky had gotten him more and that had been a big mistake. The noises Jack made over his orange juice were positively orgasmic and he’d had to concentrate very hard on ignoring them. With little success. Buying the juice now was just asking for trouble, but he couldn’t help himself.
Getting back in the car, Jack had promptly gone through the bags, his curiosity seemingly endless, and he held up a bottle of orange juice questioningly.
“Orange juice,” Sky told him and he couldn’t help smiling as Jack’s face lit up. It was ridiculous how simply making Jack happy made him feel so good.
Sticking point number three: actually getting home. Parking outside the apartment block, Jack had climbed out and promptly frozen, his face paling as the cars zoomed past him without care and his hands covering his ears again as he retreated as far as he could before he bumped into the car. Sky cursed under his breath and quickly pulled Jack inside the building, where he slowly began to relax again as they made their way up the stairs to the second floor, Sky not wanting to overload Jack with another elevator journey if he didn’t have to. There was plenty of time for that later.
Opening the door, he ushered Jack inside and let the other man explore to his heart’s content while he put his stuff away, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the out of date food in his fridge.
***
Jack looked around the ‘a-part-ment’ in surprise. It was nothing like the building he’d been staying in up until now, this place was all light and warmth. His estimation of his pair-bonded rose a little more and he wandered round, sticking his head through each of the doors until he came to what seemed to be the bedroom. He walked over to the bed and sat on it experimentally, bouncing a little in pleasure when it turned out to be more comfortable than the one they’d been sharing ‘on base’. It was slightly bigger too, and softer than he was used to, but he wasn’t complaining. If he had to stay on this planet, he could do a lot worse than stay here.
He started a little in surprise when he realised Sky was watching him from the doorway, small smile on his face. Before he could feel self-conscious, Sky had joined him on the edge of the bed and, after giving him a mischievous smile, had deliberately bounced. Once he’d regained his balance Jack had stared at him, then retaliated by bouncing harder, almost knocking Sky off the bed. The tense moment of silence was broken when Sky grinned and reached round behind him before smacking him round the head with a pillow.
After that all bets were off as they chased each other round the ‘a-part-ment’ like children, their laughter echoing round the rooms, their taunts understandable by tone even if the words were a mystery, until eventually they collapsed back in the bedroom, slowly getting their breath back as they lay curled up on the bed. Jack decided that he liked this Sky more than the one he’d started to get to know back ‘on base’. This Sky seemed a lot more relaxed, more open, once he was away from the surrounding people with their uniforms and their weapons, not to mention the oppressive atmosphere of the building. They should spend more time here, he thought as Sky rested his head against Jack’s shoulder, his pair-bonded’s soft breaths ghosting across his collarbone. Hesitantly, he twined his fingers through the ones resting on his stomach and he sighed in contentment when there was no protest.
Sky had made it more than clear that personal touches around the base were a bad thing and Jack had had to concentrate hard on not touching, despite the urge to ease the tense shoulders or set expression. It seemed that these people weren’t very tactile, at least when surrounded by others, because he hadn’t seen any of them reach out to each other. Maybe it was different in private though, because here, in his home, Sky seemed to like touching, the boundaries that he’d set between them gone. Jack wasn’t looking forward to going back to the ‘Mountain’ because then this Sky would disappear again, smothered under the uniform and the rules and the distance between them would be back. Oh well, he decided drowsily, he’d just have to make the most of this until then.
***
This was a bad idea, Sky thought to himself as Jack went from one rack of clothes to another, picking up the brightest things he could find, or so it seemed. He knew that Jack needed civilian clothes, he just hadn’t expected the other man to be so enthusiastic about it. Then again, he had been stuck with Air Force uniforms that he’d made it more than clear he didn’t like, so maybe this wasn’t really all that surprising. His cheerful chatter filled the store, drawing more attention than Sky liked as Jack all but bounced around the shop floor, arms full of god knows what. He sighed in resignation as Jack picked up something else, balancing it precariously on top of the already weaving pile, and shook his head. This had been a really bad idea.
“Is he gay?” the shop clerk asked curiously and Sky stiffened a little, not appreciating the stereotype, among other things.
“I haven’t asked.” Although considering we’re technically married and he doesn’t seem to have a problem with getting up close and personal it’s a pretty good bet.
“Oh.” The woman sounded a little disappointed. “Where’s he from?”
“Africa,” he replied shortly. It was generic enough and Jack could pass. Considering how little most people knew about Africa, even Jack’s native Hcetwen could be passed off as being an African language without too much comment. He jumped forward as the pile of clothes rocked alarmingly and just about managed to catch them before they fell, Jack giving him a sheepish look from behind them. “Okay, changing room for you.” He steered Jack in the direction of the changing room and pushed him inside, closing the curtain.
A moment later Jack stuck his head round the curtain and gave him a quizzical look. Sky sighed and tried to explain the concept of ‘trying things on’. Jack listened politely, probably getting maybe one word in five, but apparently getting the idea as he pulled the shirt he was wearing off and pulled on one from the pile, a deep red that matched the robes he’d worn for their wedding. It suited him surprisingly well and Sky swallowed a little, before pulling the dreadlocks from under the back of the shirt. He smiled in encouragement and stepped back out, making ‘carry on’ gestures with his hands.
A minute later he was back inside, Jack’s irritated tone making him wonder what had happened now. His husband was standing there, still in the red shirt but with his pants on the floor, conducting a battle royal with a pair of jeans he’d picked up, the zip apparently not cooperating and it looked as if the jeans were in danger of being ripped apart. Sky plucked them out of Jack’s hands and pulled the zip down before that could happen, Jack’s mouth shutting with an audible snap as he took the jeans back, glowering and muttering Hcetwen imprecations at the offending piece of clothing under his breath. Sky stepped back out and firmly tugged the curtain closed once more.
“Sky?” came the hesitant question a minute later and Sky looked up.
“Yeah?”
Jack pulled the curtain back and Sky swallowed hard. The Earth clothes suited Jack remarkably well, and even with the beads in his dreadlocked hair he no longer looked quite so alien, although the faintly exotic edge remained. He managed a smile and Jack looked relieved. “Like?”
Hell yeah. “Yeah, it’s… good. Good.”
Jack smiled and gestured back at the changing room with a questioning look.
“Yeah, carry on.”
As Jack went back inside Sky dropped his head into his hands. He was in so much trouble.
***
Sky collapsed onto his sofa with a sigh of relief. Sydney had dragged him shopping once and he’d sworn never again. Who’d have thought Jack would have her beat hands down? It was just a good thing the SGC paid well, otherwise the bills from today would have maxed his card out. It was mostly clothes of course, and somehow not all of them were Jack’s. Even now he wasn’t quite sure how Jack had managed to talk him into trying stuff on himself, but somehow he had. It was either the faintly suggestive smirk on Jack’s face as he shoved the clothes into Sky’s hands, despite the set jaw, or the pleading expression that he clearly had no defences against. He just hadn’t decided which of the two was more dangerous to his willpower or lack thereof. And on top of that, he had no idea where all Jack’s clothes were going to go. He’d need another wardrobe, maybe stick it in the spare room until they worked something out.
He’d thought that once he’d taken Jack clothes shopping that would be it, but no. Wrong again. Despite his initial unease, Jack had taken to the music shop like a duck to water and he’d been in there for what seemed like hours. After being fascinated by Sky’s CD player back at the apartment Jack had plainly decided that Earth music wasn’t so bad after all and he’d come out the store with an eclectic range of music from Maori tribal music to Latin American music to the latest in the popular music and rock sections. Much to his dismay, he’d found himself getting jealous when a couple of teenaged girls most likely playing hooky from school wouldn’t stop staring at his husband. Pair-bonded. Whatever. After the stop in the clothes shop they’d stopped off at a public restroom and Jack had changed into something he liked a lot more than what he had been wearing and Sky couldn’t complain about his choices. He just didn’t like all the appreciative glances Jack was getting. He glared at the girls until they got the message that Jack was his and backed off, at which point he’d stepped closer to Jack, looking over his shoulder to see what he was getting.
A sly smile showed that Jack wasn’t as oblivious as he’d seemed and Sky was left biting his lip hard as Jack ‘coincidentally’ stepped back into his personal space. Despite being from such an unsophisticated planet, at least in terms of technological development, Jack was far from stupid and his lack of familiarity with Earth technology and customs didn’t mean that he didn’t know people, and he was clearly very well aware of the looks he was getting, as well as Sky’s response to them. More to the point, he didn’t seem upset by either the looks or Sky’s reaction, the latter seeming to please him more than it really should, Sky thought irritably. It seemed that Jack had learned about public touching though, because although the look he pinned Sky with could probably have powered a city with its heat, he made no move to do anything else, which Sky was incredibly grateful for. As of yet the two of them had yet to go beyond the odd touch here and there, with careful kisses thrown in all over the place, neither of them really ready to go past that point. Unfortunately it was becoming increasingly obvious that that was changing too and he had the sinking suspicion that something would happen soon, something that meant there was no going back.
***
Jack scowled as he sat on the bed, staring at the paper scattered all over the covers. Back in the oppressive Mountain where he spent most of his day, his temper had slowly deteriorated. Sky was somewhere around the base and he had taken the opportunity to try and learn more of Sky’s language, make communication between the two of them easier. Dr. Z had been endlessly patient, but he was struggling to understand how this language worked. He glowered some more at the paper. Stupid language, this ‘In-glish’. Stupid language with all its contradictions and its words that sounded exactly the same but meant entirely different things. How was anyone supposed to *learn* it?
After struggling on for another few minutes, he gave up in frustration, throwing the nearest wad of paper against the nearest wall, which happened to be the door Sky walked through mere seconds before the paper hit. Just about managing to duck, Sky turned to follow the paper as it flew out the door before turning back to Jack, eyebrow raised.
“Sorry.” Jack frowned. “Sorry?” Was that the right word?
Sky nodded, fingers flicking slightly in the way that Jack had come to recognise as meaning ‘fine.’ The questioning look remained in place though, until Sky unfolded the unfortunate piece of paper and saw what was on it, understanding dawning.
“You have a stupid language,” Jack informed him in his own language. “It’s ridiculous. The words are all in the wrong places and you have too many words that sound the same but mean completely different things! How do you even manage to understand each other?” The rant went on for a while as he vented all of his frustration, until in the end he ran out of things to say and he came to a halt, tossing his head self-consciously.
“Done?” Sky asked finally and Jack sniffed. At least he recognised that word.
“Yes.” He didn’t bother using ‘In-glish’. Sky would probably understand what he meant anyway.
Sky sat down next to him and studied the paper with a thoughtful expression, then glanced across at Jack in question. Taking that to mean either Sky was wondering where he’d got to or where was he having problems, Jack pointed to the current infuriation and scowled some more, not caring that he was acting like a child. He felt like a child at the moment anyway, what was acting like one going to do to change that? He hadn’t felt like this since he’d started learning the laws of the tribe in anticipation for when he’d eventually become Chieftain and all the words had jumbled inside his head until it seemed he was living, breathing, dreaming them.
This was exactly the same and it was driving him insane. Unfamiliar with the concept of writing, he was having more trouble with that than picking up words through day to day experience. His people had a very strong oral tradition, they’d never written things down. Important knowledge was passed down from generation to generation, enriching the tribe. This… this was different and he struggled to understand it, even if he understood the principle behind it.
Taking a look at what was frustrating him, Sky nodded once, then scooped up all the paper and moved it to the table, the message clear: leave it for now. Gladly. He was caught by surprise by the quick kiss he found himself on the receiving end of and he stared at Sky, torn between pleasure and bemusement. It was completely out of character for Sky to do something like that and what had happened to ‘no touching on base’ anyway? Sky himself seemed a little chagrined, embarrassed maybe. It was rare for him to initiate anything, although it had come easier when they were off base, the two days they’d had to themselves more enlightening about who Sky was, although public touching was still a taboo. Still, it seemed Sky had brought a little of that person back to this place after all. Touching in private seemed to be acceptable now, whereas it hadn’t before.
He was more than willing to take advantage of this change of heart, although he suspected that anything major would happen while they were ‘home’ in Sky’s a-part-ment, not while they were here. A quick look at the ‘clock’ on the table indicated it was time to leave and he looked at Sky expectantly, gesturing at the time-telling machine. Unsure of it at first, he had slowly come to appreciate certain aspects of this planet’s strict time-keeping, for one thing it meant there was a definite point at which he could leave this place and drag Sky out as well, because it couldn’t be good for anyone to spend that much time here.
Sky rolled his eyes in mock-exasperation, but still stood anyway. “Fine. Let’s go.”
Jack jumped to his feet and his enthusiasm was only slightly dimmed when Sky picked up the papers from the table.
***
Sky mentally slapped himself round the head the moment he realised what he’d done. He’d established the No Touching On Base rule because it was just asking for trouble, but yet here he was, kissing Jack without thought. He just hadn’t been able to help himself. Jack had seemed so down, frustrated with what he most likely saw as his lack of progress and the pout he’d been wearing just begged to be kissed away. So he had. Jack had been surprised, he knew, surprised but pleased if the smile on his face was anything to go by and he seemed in quite a hurry to leave and go home, where they could hopefully continue this… whatever this was. He picked up the sheets of paper with letters and words scattered all over them, they could continue that at home as well.
***
Curled up on the ‘so-fah’ Jack sighed in resignation as Sky pulled out the paper that had caused him so much frustration earlier. Obviously he had to get some of that out the way before they could move on to something more pleasant. Much to his surprise, the ‘lesson’ went much quicker with Sky there, and he wasn’t complaining about Sky’s arm over his shoulder as he pointed to various words.
He decided he’d talk to Dr. Z about maybe having Sky teach him ‘In-glish’. True it would probably go faster with someone who actually spoke his language and could make direct translations, but there was a lot to be said in favour of learning with Sky. More incentive for one thing, when successes were rewarded with kisses and a hand curling in his hair and frustrations eased with soothing circles rubbed on his back. Sometimes it was worth getting ‘upset’ just for that touch - strong, warm hands feeling very good against his skin. Even if the shirts got in the way.
***
With sleep not coming easily that night, Sky studied Jack as the other man slept, his fingers itching to brush the dreads out of Jack’s face. He smiled slightly and gave in to the temptation. They were married after all. Touching was practically compulsory for that. Not something he was comfortable with at first, he was slowly becoming accustomed to it and it no longer seemed strange to climb into bed with Jack, to curl up in bed next to him, or wake up to Jack’s head resting against his shoulder. If anything it was comforting and he was increasingly starting to wonder how he’d coped with waking up alone for as long as had, Jack’s warm body next to his making a mockery of his former resolve that he was better off alone.
He’d never really had time for relationships before, his dedication to joining the Air Force and following in his father’s footsteps had seen to that, but he’d dated occasionally, some times more serious than others. The last serious ‘relationship’ he’d had though, ended disastrously and after that he’d refused to let anyone get that close again. It just wasn’t worth the pain that inevitably came later. No, he was better off alone, and until now he’d never once questioned that resolve. Until now. How screwed up was it that after only a month of being married to a man from another planet, whose knowledge of English, while rapidly expanding, was sketchy at best, and whose way of life was completely alien to his own, pun not intended, that he was beginning to doubt the philosophy that had served him so well?
Very, he decided. It was very screwed up, extremely screwed up, astronomically, completely and utterly screwed up. And the scary thing? He was beginning not to care.
Summary: Jack gets to go off base.
Rating: PG-13
Sky sighed in relief as he walked out of the Mountain, Jack at his side, looking about him curiously. It was the first time Jack had been out of Cheyenne Mountain, permission to take him off base only just coming through, and he had no doubt that there was going to be a lot about Earth Jack wouldn’t understand. Still, it was good to be out of the Mountain, he’d been all but living there since he’d managed to come back from his first solo mission with a husband he’d met two days before. The connotations of the marriage meant that he couldn’t go home to his apartment without Jack, and therefore he was stuck on base until Jack was allowed out into the wide world.
They’d managed to get out of the base alright, but the first sticking point came at the parking lot. Jack had stared at the cars in non-comprehension and Sky was just glad there was no one else around that he’d have to explain this to. He climbed into the driver’s side of his car, then opened the door for Jack to get in. Jack stuck his head in and looked around before he actually got in, shifting a little on the seat to get comfortable. Demonstrating the seatbelts, Sky turned on the engine, but before he could start the car, the next snag hit. He’d forgotten about the radio. With the radio set to activate when the engine was turned on, it had automatically started playing when he’d turned the ignition key and Jack had all but jumped out his seat in shock, leaning against the door as far away from the noise as possible, his hands covering his ears.
Sky winced and switched the radio off, Jack’s hands coming cautiously down before he ducked his head a little trying to work out where the noise had either come from or gone, Sky wasn’t sure which. Deciding to play it safe he didn’t switch the radio back on, driving them back to his apartment in relative silence. Passing a convenience store he stopped and reversed the car, parking it a moment later. Considering how long it had been since he’d been back to his apartment, there was probably very little there that would be edible and that needed to be remedied. He couldn’t exactly take his husband home and not be able to feed him. His mother would throw a fit.
“Stay here,” he said firmly and Jack gave him a resigned look. It was one phrase he’d picked up relatively quickly, one that he held in contempt most of the time, but Sky hoped that this time at least, Jack would listen.
He made his way quickly round the store, picking up the basics for that evening. Anything else he could get from the supermarket the next day. He paused at the fruit juice section and dropped a few bottles of orange juice into the basket. The day Jack had discovered orange juice was the day his sanity officially came under attack. Cautious at first, Jack’s eyes had widened in surprise, then he’d drunk the entire glass in one go, with every evidence of enjoyment. For some reason, when he’d given Sky that expectant look, Sky had gotten him more and that had been a big mistake. The noises Jack made over his orange juice were positively orgasmic and he’d had to concentrate very hard on ignoring them. With little success. Buying the juice now was just asking for trouble, but he couldn’t help himself.
Getting back in the car, Jack had promptly gone through the bags, his curiosity seemingly endless, and he held up a bottle of orange juice questioningly.
“Orange juice,” Sky told him and he couldn’t help smiling as Jack’s face lit up. It was ridiculous how simply making Jack happy made him feel so good.
Sticking point number three: actually getting home. Parking outside the apartment block, Jack had climbed out and promptly frozen, his face paling as the cars zoomed past him without care and his hands covering his ears again as he retreated as far as he could before he bumped into the car. Sky cursed under his breath and quickly pulled Jack inside the building, where he slowly began to relax again as they made their way up the stairs to the second floor, Sky not wanting to overload Jack with another elevator journey if he didn’t have to. There was plenty of time for that later.
Opening the door, he ushered Jack inside and let the other man explore to his heart’s content while he put his stuff away, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the out of date food in his fridge.
***
Jack looked around the ‘a-part-ment’ in surprise. It was nothing like the building he’d been staying in up until now, this place was all light and warmth. His estimation of his pair-bonded rose a little more and he wandered round, sticking his head through each of the doors until he came to what seemed to be the bedroom. He walked over to the bed and sat on it experimentally, bouncing a little in pleasure when it turned out to be more comfortable than the one they’d been sharing ‘on base’. It was slightly bigger too, and softer than he was used to, but he wasn’t complaining. If he had to stay on this planet, he could do a lot worse than stay here.
He started a little in surprise when he realised Sky was watching him from the doorway, small smile on his face. Before he could feel self-conscious, Sky had joined him on the edge of the bed and, after giving him a mischievous smile, had deliberately bounced. Once he’d regained his balance Jack had stared at him, then retaliated by bouncing harder, almost knocking Sky off the bed. The tense moment of silence was broken when Sky grinned and reached round behind him before smacking him round the head with a pillow.
After that all bets were off as they chased each other round the ‘a-part-ment’ like children, their laughter echoing round the rooms, their taunts understandable by tone even if the words were a mystery, until eventually they collapsed back in the bedroom, slowly getting their breath back as they lay curled up on the bed. Jack decided that he liked this Sky more than the one he’d started to get to know back ‘on base’. This Sky seemed a lot more relaxed, more open, once he was away from the surrounding people with their uniforms and their weapons, not to mention the oppressive atmosphere of the building. They should spend more time here, he thought as Sky rested his head against Jack’s shoulder, his pair-bonded’s soft breaths ghosting across his collarbone. Hesitantly, he twined his fingers through the ones resting on his stomach and he sighed in contentment when there was no protest.
Sky had made it more than clear that personal touches around the base were a bad thing and Jack had had to concentrate hard on not touching, despite the urge to ease the tense shoulders or set expression. It seemed that these people weren’t very tactile, at least when surrounded by others, because he hadn’t seen any of them reach out to each other. Maybe it was different in private though, because here, in his home, Sky seemed to like touching, the boundaries that he’d set between them gone. Jack wasn’t looking forward to going back to the ‘Mountain’ because then this Sky would disappear again, smothered under the uniform and the rules and the distance between them would be back. Oh well, he decided drowsily, he’d just have to make the most of this until then.
***
This was a bad idea, Sky thought to himself as Jack went from one rack of clothes to another, picking up the brightest things he could find, or so it seemed. He knew that Jack needed civilian clothes, he just hadn’t expected the other man to be so enthusiastic about it. Then again, he had been stuck with Air Force uniforms that he’d made it more than clear he didn’t like, so maybe this wasn’t really all that surprising. His cheerful chatter filled the store, drawing more attention than Sky liked as Jack all but bounced around the shop floor, arms full of god knows what. He sighed in resignation as Jack picked up something else, balancing it precariously on top of the already weaving pile, and shook his head. This had been a really bad idea.
“Is he gay?” the shop clerk asked curiously and Sky stiffened a little, not appreciating the stereotype, among other things.
“I haven’t asked.” Although considering we’re technically married and he doesn’t seem to have a problem with getting up close and personal it’s a pretty good bet.
“Oh.” The woman sounded a little disappointed. “Where’s he from?”
“Africa,” he replied shortly. It was generic enough and Jack could pass. Considering how little most people knew about Africa, even Jack’s native Hcetwen could be passed off as being an African language without too much comment. He jumped forward as the pile of clothes rocked alarmingly and just about managed to catch them before they fell, Jack giving him a sheepish look from behind them. “Okay, changing room for you.” He steered Jack in the direction of the changing room and pushed him inside, closing the curtain.
A moment later Jack stuck his head round the curtain and gave him a quizzical look. Sky sighed and tried to explain the concept of ‘trying things on’. Jack listened politely, probably getting maybe one word in five, but apparently getting the idea as he pulled the shirt he was wearing off and pulled on one from the pile, a deep red that matched the robes he’d worn for their wedding. It suited him surprisingly well and Sky swallowed a little, before pulling the dreadlocks from under the back of the shirt. He smiled in encouragement and stepped back out, making ‘carry on’ gestures with his hands.
A minute later he was back inside, Jack’s irritated tone making him wonder what had happened now. His husband was standing there, still in the red shirt but with his pants on the floor, conducting a battle royal with a pair of jeans he’d picked up, the zip apparently not cooperating and it looked as if the jeans were in danger of being ripped apart. Sky plucked them out of Jack’s hands and pulled the zip down before that could happen, Jack’s mouth shutting with an audible snap as he took the jeans back, glowering and muttering Hcetwen imprecations at the offending piece of clothing under his breath. Sky stepped back out and firmly tugged the curtain closed once more.
“Sky?” came the hesitant question a minute later and Sky looked up.
“Yeah?”
Jack pulled the curtain back and Sky swallowed hard. The Earth clothes suited Jack remarkably well, and even with the beads in his dreadlocked hair he no longer looked quite so alien, although the faintly exotic edge remained. He managed a smile and Jack looked relieved. “Like?”
Hell yeah. “Yeah, it’s… good. Good.”
Jack smiled and gestured back at the changing room with a questioning look.
“Yeah, carry on.”
As Jack went back inside Sky dropped his head into his hands. He was in so much trouble.
***
Sky collapsed onto his sofa with a sigh of relief. Sydney had dragged him shopping once and he’d sworn never again. Who’d have thought Jack would have her beat hands down? It was just a good thing the SGC paid well, otherwise the bills from today would have maxed his card out. It was mostly clothes of course, and somehow not all of them were Jack’s. Even now he wasn’t quite sure how Jack had managed to talk him into trying stuff on himself, but somehow he had. It was either the faintly suggestive smirk on Jack’s face as he shoved the clothes into Sky’s hands, despite the set jaw, or the pleading expression that he clearly had no defences against. He just hadn’t decided which of the two was more dangerous to his willpower or lack thereof. And on top of that, he had no idea where all Jack’s clothes were going to go. He’d need another wardrobe, maybe stick it in the spare room until they worked something out.
He’d thought that once he’d taken Jack clothes shopping that would be it, but no. Wrong again. Despite his initial unease, Jack had taken to the music shop like a duck to water and he’d been in there for what seemed like hours. After being fascinated by Sky’s CD player back at the apartment Jack had plainly decided that Earth music wasn’t so bad after all and he’d come out the store with an eclectic range of music from Maori tribal music to Latin American music to the latest in the popular music and rock sections. Much to his dismay, he’d found himself getting jealous when a couple of teenaged girls most likely playing hooky from school wouldn’t stop staring at his husband. Pair-bonded. Whatever. After the stop in the clothes shop they’d stopped off at a public restroom and Jack had changed into something he liked a lot more than what he had been wearing and Sky couldn’t complain about his choices. He just didn’t like all the appreciative glances Jack was getting. He glared at the girls until they got the message that Jack was his and backed off, at which point he’d stepped closer to Jack, looking over his shoulder to see what he was getting.
A sly smile showed that Jack wasn’t as oblivious as he’d seemed and Sky was left biting his lip hard as Jack ‘coincidentally’ stepped back into his personal space. Despite being from such an unsophisticated planet, at least in terms of technological development, Jack was far from stupid and his lack of familiarity with Earth technology and customs didn’t mean that he didn’t know people, and he was clearly very well aware of the looks he was getting, as well as Sky’s response to them. More to the point, he didn’t seem upset by either the looks or Sky’s reaction, the latter seeming to please him more than it really should, Sky thought irritably. It seemed that Jack had learned about public touching though, because although the look he pinned Sky with could probably have powered a city with its heat, he made no move to do anything else, which Sky was incredibly grateful for. As of yet the two of them had yet to go beyond the odd touch here and there, with careful kisses thrown in all over the place, neither of them really ready to go past that point. Unfortunately it was becoming increasingly obvious that that was changing too and he had the sinking suspicion that something would happen soon, something that meant there was no going back.
***
Jack scowled as he sat on the bed, staring at the paper scattered all over the covers. Back in the oppressive Mountain where he spent most of his day, his temper had slowly deteriorated. Sky was somewhere around the base and he had taken the opportunity to try and learn more of Sky’s language, make communication between the two of them easier. Dr. Z had been endlessly patient, but he was struggling to understand how this language worked. He glowered some more at the paper. Stupid language, this ‘In-glish’. Stupid language with all its contradictions and its words that sounded exactly the same but meant entirely different things. How was anyone supposed to *learn* it?
After struggling on for another few minutes, he gave up in frustration, throwing the nearest wad of paper against the nearest wall, which happened to be the door Sky walked through mere seconds before the paper hit. Just about managing to duck, Sky turned to follow the paper as it flew out the door before turning back to Jack, eyebrow raised.
“Sorry.” Jack frowned. “Sorry?” Was that the right word?
Sky nodded, fingers flicking slightly in the way that Jack had come to recognise as meaning ‘fine.’ The questioning look remained in place though, until Sky unfolded the unfortunate piece of paper and saw what was on it, understanding dawning.
“You have a stupid language,” Jack informed him in his own language. “It’s ridiculous. The words are all in the wrong places and you have too many words that sound the same but mean completely different things! How do you even manage to understand each other?” The rant went on for a while as he vented all of his frustration, until in the end he ran out of things to say and he came to a halt, tossing his head self-consciously.
“Done?” Sky asked finally and Jack sniffed. At least he recognised that word.
“Yes.” He didn’t bother using ‘In-glish’. Sky would probably understand what he meant anyway.
Sky sat down next to him and studied the paper with a thoughtful expression, then glanced across at Jack in question. Taking that to mean either Sky was wondering where he’d got to or where was he having problems, Jack pointed to the current infuriation and scowled some more, not caring that he was acting like a child. He felt like a child at the moment anyway, what was acting like one going to do to change that? He hadn’t felt like this since he’d started learning the laws of the tribe in anticipation for when he’d eventually become Chieftain and all the words had jumbled inside his head until it seemed he was living, breathing, dreaming them.
This was exactly the same and it was driving him insane. Unfamiliar with the concept of writing, he was having more trouble with that than picking up words through day to day experience. His people had a very strong oral tradition, they’d never written things down. Important knowledge was passed down from generation to generation, enriching the tribe. This… this was different and he struggled to understand it, even if he understood the principle behind it.
Taking a look at what was frustrating him, Sky nodded once, then scooped up all the paper and moved it to the table, the message clear: leave it for now. Gladly. He was caught by surprise by the quick kiss he found himself on the receiving end of and he stared at Sky, torn between pleasure and bemusement. It was completely out of character for Sky to do something like that and what had happened to ‘no touching on base’ anyway? Sky himself seemed a little chagrined, embarrassed maybe. It was rare for him to initiate anything, although it had come easier when they were off base, the two days they’d had to themselves more enlightening about who Sky was, although public touching was still a taboo. Still, it seemed Sky had brought a little of that person back to this place after all. Touching in private seemed to be acceptable now, whereas it hadn’t before.
He was more than willing to take advantage of this change of heart, although he suspected that anything major would happen while they were ‘home’ in Sky’s a-part-ment, not while they were here. A quick look at the ‘clock’ on the table indicated it was time to leave and he looked at Sky expectantly, gesturing at the time-telling machine. Unsure of it at first, he had slowly come to appreciate certain aspects of this planet’s strict time-keeping, for one thing it meant there was a definite point at which he could leave this place and drag Sky out as well, because it couldn’t be good for anyone to spend that much time here.
Sky rolled his eyes in mock-exasperation, but still stood anyway. “Fine. Let’s go.”
Jack jumped to his feet and his enthusiasm was only slightly dimmed when Sky picked up the papers from the table.
***
Sky mentally slapped himself round the head the moment he realised what he’d done. He’d established the No Touching On Base rule because it was just asking for trouble, but yet here he was, kissing Jack without thought. He just hadn’t been able to help himself. Jack had seemed so down, frustrated with what he most likely saw as his lack of progress and the pout he’d been wearing just begged to be kissed away. So he had. Jack had been surprised, he knew, surprised but pleased if the smile on his face was anything to go by and he seemed in quite a hurry to leave and go home, where they could hopefully continue this… whatever this was. He picked up the sheets of paper with letters and words scattered all over them, they could continue that at home as well.
***
Curled up on the ‘so-fah’ Jack sighed in resignation as Sky pulled out the paper that had caused him so much frustration earlier. Obviously he had to get some of that out the way before they could move on to something more pleasant. Much to his surprise, the ‘lesson’ went much quicker with Sky there, and he wasn’t complaining about Sky’s arm over his shoulder as he pointed to various words.
He decided he’d talk to Dr. Z about maybe having Sky teach him ‘In-glish’. True it would probably go faster with someone who actually spoke his language and could make direct translations, but there was a lot to be said in favour of learning with Sky. More incentive for one thing, when successes were rewarded with kisses and a hand curling in his hair and frustrations eased with soothing circles rubbed on his back. Sometimes it was worth getting ‘upset’ just for that touch - strong, warm hands feeling very good against his skin. Even if the shirts got in the way.
***
With sleep not coming easily that night, Sky studied Jack as the other man slept, his fingers itching to brush the dreads out of Jack’s face. He smiled slightly and gave in to the temptation. They were married after all. Touching was practically compulsory for that. Not something he was comfortable with at first, he was slowly becoming accustomed to it and it no longer seemed strange to climb into bed with Jack, to curl up in bed next to him, or wake up to Jack’s head resting against his shoulder. If anything it was comforting and he was increasingly starting to wonder how he’d coped with waking up alone for as long as had, Jack’s warm body next to his making a mockery of his former resolve that he was better off alone.
He’d never really had time for relationships before, his dedication to joining the Air Force and following in his father’s footsteps had seen to that, but he’d dated occasionally, some times more serious than others. The last serious ‘relationship’ he’d had though, ended disastrously and after that he’d refused to let anyone get that close again. It just wasn’t worth the pain that inevitably came later. No, he was better off alone, and until now he’d never once questioned that resolve. Until now. How screwed up was it that after only a month of being married to a man from another planet, whose knowledge of English, while rapidly expanding, was sketchy at best, and whose way of life was completely alien to his own, pun not intended, that he was beginning to doubt the philosophy that had served him so well?
Very, he decided. It was very screwed up, extremely screwed up, astronomically, completely and utterly screwed up. And the scary thing? He was beginning not to care.