Merry Christmas syndarys!
A tiny wisp of Christmasy fic. J/D, PG. Enjoy, and happy holidays.
Inevitabilities
Daniel hadn't intended to end up at Jack's house on Christmas morning. Truth be told, he hadn't intended to end up anywhere; he'd planned to spend the morning wandering, a microcosm of his life for the past several years: the life of a traveler, no room to call his own, no roof over his -- he stopped thinking, kept driving, kept his eyes on the road. It had started to snow, just a little, not enough to make it a white Christmas, but enough to make the road slick and driving difficult.
So, naturally, he ended up at Jack's house. It was one of those things that simply seemed unavoidable lately, like how whenever there was work that he wanted to get done, there was a diplomatic emergency offworld that required expertise that only he could provide. Life's little inevitabilities. He supposed it was wisest not to think about it any more, just knock on Jack's door, see if he was up, see if he had something to drink...
The mere fact that Daniel was considering drinking at eight thirty on Christmas morning was frightening enough to make him snap out of his inexplicable funk and ring the damned doorbell.
Jack answered the door looking grumpy, but his lips twitched into a smile when he saw Daniel. "Gang's in the living room," he said. "Beer in the fridge, presents under the tree."
"I didn't think to bring..."
"Course not," said Jack. "Neither did Carter. Don't worry. Seems Teal'c has Earth customs figured out better than either of you."
Daniel blinked a couple of times. "Am I missing something?"
"What? It's Christmas morning. What better time could there be to get together with your team?"
"I thought Sam was going up to San Diego."
"Plans fell through," said Jack, gesturing for Daniel to take off his coat. Or possibly his shirt. It was sometimes hard to interpret Jack's gestures. "Beer?"
"Uh, no," said Daniel. Beer wouldn't improve his already scrambled senses. "I'll just, uh, say hi to Sam and Teal'c."
"Hi yourself," said Sam, whose idea of Christmas spirit seemed to be augmenting her all-black outfit with a silver snowflake pin right above her breasts. "The Colonel was just thinking about calling your place, seeing what was keeping you."
"Oh."
"I made quiche," said Teal'c, and Daniel finally pinched himself. There was no way this could be anything but a dream. "Your gift is under the Christmas tree." Daniel quirked an eyebrow in Sam's direction, but she just shrugged and grinned.
Fifteen minutes later, Daniel was eating quiche off a plate memorializing a moment of hockey greatness, Jack, on his left, nursing a beer, and Sam was unwrapping Teal'c's present. Teal'c looked expectant, and Daniel prayed that whatever Sam had been given wouldn't be as embarrassing as it could be. Visions of negligees and assault rifles danced in his head, but it turned out Teal'c had bought Sam a knickknack of some sort that Daniel thought was pure kitsch but Sam seemed to adore.
"It's very nice," said Jack, finality in his voice. "Daniel, go fetch the package wrapped in blue and silver."
"I'm not your gofer," Daniel grumbled, crawling under the tree. "Who's it for?"
"All of you," said Jack with a wink. "But let T open it. He won't get any other presents from you cheapskates."
"If I'd known there was going to be a get-together..." Sam trailed off.
Daniel watched Teal'c open their present, still blinking away confusion. This was what Christmas was supposed to be: food and presents and -- family. Jack's khaki-clad leg pressed against his, slightly too close to be strictly platonic. Sam giggling at Jack's idea of a present: some strange confusion of wire and beads that Jack claimed was a mobile.
"Why a mobile?" Daniel was forced to ask.
"Why not?" said Jack, looking slightly hurt. "I went to a crafts fair and everything."
"Why?" Daniel demanded.
"To get something arty?"
"Arty? Why did you feel the urge to get something -- arty?"
"Well, I figured Teal'c needed exposure to Earth's arts and crafts, and then, you and Carter are, you know..."
"I don't think I like where this is headed," said Daniel. "But I'll let it slide."
Sam had edged away from them. "I'd better go," she said. "Teal'c, you coming?"
"Indeed," said Teal'c. Daniel rose to leave as well, but Jack grabbed at his hand, letting his fingers linger just a little.
"Stay," he said. "We'll eat leftover quiche, and I can whip up some kind of Christmas dinner later."
Daniel snorted at the idea of Jack trying to cook, but reclaimed his seat after giving Sam a quick hug.
"So," said Jack. "Game will be on later."
Daniel waited for Jack to say something else. To apologize, maybe, or to start the conversation they'd been needing to have for months, if not years. The one that started, "I've been thinking about you very differently lately," and hopefully ended with bed. But Jack just rested his hand on Daniel's knee and stared straight ahead. "Got Simpsons tapes we could watch," he said.
"Let's not," said Daniel. "Let's get out of the house. Drive around in the snow."
"It's not snowing," Jack reminded him, pressing his fingers a little deeper into Daniel's leg. Daniel gulped.
"I didn't get you a present," said Jack. "Hope that's okay."
"I wasn't expecting anything," Daniel said.
"Still," said Jack. "It wouldn't be right to let a boy go --"
"A boy?"
"A man, then. Wouldn't be right to let a man go without any Christmas gift."
"I've gone without in the past."
"Still," said Jack.
"You already said that."
"Yeah..." Jack pulled his hand away from Daniel, started kneading his fingers together. "Daniel?"
"Yeah?"
"Oh, what the hell," said Jack, and before Daniel could close his eyes, Jack had his hands on Daniel's cheeks, tilting his head, moving his mouth closer to... kissing him. Jack kissed him.
"Merry Christmas, Daniel."
Daniel furrowed his brow, tried to make himself pull away, tried to make himself say no. But he couldn't.
"Merry Christmas," he said, leaning in for another kiss.
Inevitabilities
Daniel hadn't intended to end up at Jack's house on Christmas morning. Truth be told, he hadn't intended to end up anywhere; he'd planned to spend the morning wandering, a microcosm of his life for the past several years: the life of a traveler, no room to call his own, no roof over his -- he stopped thinking, kept driving, kept his eyes on the road. It had started to snow, just a little, not enough to make it a white Christmas, but enough to make the road slick and driving difficult.
So, naturally, he ended up at Jack's house. It was one of those things that simply seemed unavoidable lately, like how whenever there was work that he wanted to get done, there was a diplomatic emergency offworld that required expertise that only he could provide. Life's little inevitabilities. He supposed it was wisest not to think about it any more, just knock on Jack's door, see if he was up, see if he had something to drink...
The mere fact that Daniel was considering drinking at eight thirty on Christmas morning was frightening enough to make him snap out of his inexplicable funk and ring the damned doorbell.
Jack answered the door looking grumpy, but his lips twitched into a smile when he saw Daniel. "Gang's in the living room," he said. "Beer in the fridge, presents under the tree."
"I didn't think to bring..."
"Course not," said Jack. "Neither did Carter. Don't worry. Seems Teal'c has Earth customs figured out better than either of you."
Daniel blinked a couple of times. "Am I missing something?"
"What? It's Christmas morning. What better time could there be to get together with your team?"
"I thought Sam was going up to San Diego."
"Plans fell through," said Jack, gesturing for Daniel to take off his coat. Or possibly his shirt. It was sometimes hard to interpret Jack's gestures. "Beer?"
"Uh, no," said Daniel. Beer wouldn't improve his already scrambled senses. "I'll just, uh, say hi to Sam and Teal'c."
"Hi yourself," said Sam, whose idea of Christmas spirit seemed to be augmenting her all-black outfit with a silver snowflake pin right above her breasts. "The Colonel was just thinking about calling your place, seeing what was keeping you."
"Oh."
"I made quiche," said Teal'c, and Daniel finally pinched himself. There was no way this could be anything but a dream. "Your gift is under the Christmas tree." Daniel quirked an eyebrow in Sam's direction, but she just shrugged and grinned.
Fifteen minutes later, Daniel was eating quiche off a plate memorializing a moment of hockey greatness, Jack, on his left, nursing a beer, and Sam was unwrapping Teal'c's present. Teal'c looked expectant, and Daniel prayed that whatever Sam had been given wouldn't be as embarrassing as it could be. Visions of negligees and assault rifles danced in his head, but it turned out Teal'c had bought Sam a knickknack of some sort that Daniel thought was pure kitsch but Sam seemed to adore.
"It's very nice," said Jack, finality in his voice. "Daniel, go fetch the package wrapped in blue and silver."
"I'm not your gofer," Daniel grumbled, crawling under the tree. "Who's it for?"
"All of you," said Jack with a wink. "But let T open it. He won't get any other presents from you cheapskates."
"If I'd known there was going to be a get-together..." Sam trailed off.
Daniel watched Teal'c open their present, still blinking away confusion. This was what Christmas was supposed to be: food and presents and -- family. Jack's khaki-clad leg pressed against his, slightly too close to be strictly platonic. Sam giggling at Jack's idea of a present: some strange confusion of wire and beads that Jack claimed was a mobile.
"Why a mobile?" Daniel was forced to ask.
"Why not?" said Jack, looking slightly hurt. "I went to a crafts fair and everything."
"Why?" Daniel demanded.
"To get something arty?"
"Arty? Why did you feel the urge to get something -- arty?"
"Well, I figured Teal'c needed exposure to Earth's arts and crafts, and then, you and Carter are, you know..."
"I don't think I like where this is headed," said Daniel. "But I'll let it slide."
Sam had edged away from them. "I'd better go," she said. "Teal'c, you coming?"
"Indeed," said Teal'c. Daniel rose to leave as well, but Jack grabbed at his hand, letting his fingers linger just a little.
"Stay," he said. "We'll eat leftover quiche, and I can whip up some kind of Christmas dinner later."
Daniel snorted at the idea of Jack trying to cook, but reclaimed his seat after giving Sam a quick hug.
"So," said Jack. "Game will be on later."
Daniel waited for Jack to say something else. To apologize, maybe, or to start the conversation they'd been needing to have for months, if not years. The one that started, "I've been thinking about you very differently lately," and hopefully ended with bed. But Jack just rested his hand on Daniel's knee and stared straight ahead. "Got Simpsons tapes we could watch," he said.
"Let's not," said Daniel. "Let's get out of the house. Drive around in the snow."
"It's not snowing," Jack reminded him, pressing his fingers a little deeper into Daniel's leg. Daniel gulped.
"I didn't get you a present," said Jack. "Hope that's okay."
"I wasn't expecting anything," Daniel said.
"Still," said Jack. "It wouldn't be right to let a boy go --"
"A boy?"
"A man, then. Wouldn't be right to let a man go without any Christmas gift."
"I've gone without in the past."
"Still," said Jack.
"You already said that."
"Yeah..." Jack pulled his hand away from Daniel, started kneading his fingers together. "Daniel?"
"Yeah?"
"Oh, what the hell," said Jack, and before Daniel could close his eyes, Jack had his hands on Daniel's cheeks, tilting his head, moving his mouth closer to... kissing him. Jack kissed him.
"Merry Christmas, Daniel."
Daniel furrowed his brow, tried to make himself pull away, tried to make himself say no. But he couldn't.
"Merry Christmas," he said, leaning in for another kiss.