ficpost: "Relief" Jack + Daniel
Title: "Relief"
Fandom: Stargate: SG-1
Pairing: Sort of Jack/Daniel, sort of Jack/Sam, sort of gen.
Rating: the letter formerly known as G.
Spoilers: "Threads"
Notes: Because all the darkfic I was writing was killing me, here's some straight-up angst.
Words: 864
Summary: Jack pops the question.
Relief
"I asked Sam fishing."
Daniel hardly registered the "Sam," he was so struck by the "fishing." But he only said mildly, "Again?"
"She said yes," Jack told him.
Daniel didn't blink. "Ah."
Jack didn't blink either, and Daniel wondered if this was going to turn into another staring contest. He'd wasted a lot of good lunch hours like this. "I'm giving everyone downtime."
"How generous of you."
Jack gave him a pleading look, his mouth twisting. Daniel just kept staring, his eyes fixed on Jack's. He wasn't going to be the one to look away.
"You probably need some downtime, what with all the being dead. Kinda takes something out of a guy."
"So you'd think."
"Well?"
"Well what?" Talking to Jack was a calculated exercise in collusion.
"You coming?"
Daniel closed his eyes. Dammit. If Jack was smirking... but he wasn't. Just looking at Daniel, waiting for his answer.
"You said you invited Sam fishing. I haven't just had my appendix out, I've already been to my monthly funeral..."
"So you're free?"
Daniel wondered if Oma removed some of his memories again, like maybe the ones that told him how to understand what Jack was talking about at least thirty percent of the time. "Can we be very clear here? What are you talking about?"
"Fishing," Jack said, and he mimed putting a wriggling worm on a hook, casting a line.
"Yes, I do know how to fish, oddly enough."
Jack didn't care, or didn't hear. "Fishing is a venerable way for stoic people to avoid expressing their emotions. And for people to get food. It's multi-purpose. You coming?"
"Are you asking me?" Daniel wanted to be clear on this before he answered.
Jack shot him a dirty look. "You want me down on my knees?"
"I thought you asked Sam," Daniel tried to explain. "You are going fishing with Sam, aren't you? You, Sam, your cabin..." He tried not to connect the dots, but Jack had practically handed him the pen.
Jack nodded. "Me and Carter, you and Teal'c, fishing, beer. Lots of beer, I figure."
"Ah. Some sort of wacky military bonding thing?"
"Not exactly." Daniel waited for him to clarify. "Do you want me to spell it out? Do you need a slide show?"
"I'm beginning to think so." Jack was wearing that panicked, deer in the headlights look that Daniel recognized from briefings with scientists. That thought led to an idea. "Do you want us there as protection from Sam?"
"I'm a general," was Jack's non-answer. "Career military."
"That's kind of hard to miss." And pretty much confirmed what he thought. The same way Jack would ask him to attend briefings with the social scientists, and always had Sam there when he was talking to other physicists, Jack had asked him along this weekend as an interpreter. Well, he wasn't buying it. "No."
"No?"
Jack's fear was obvious, but Daniel didn't soften. "You want to woo her, you can woo her. I'm not going to be there as comic relief."
"Relief! That's it exactly," Jack said, and ran with it. "You'll be there, and we won't die of tension. Me and Carter, all by ourselves for an entire weekend. You know what would happen."
"I prefer not to think about it."
"So you'll be relief from that."
"That's not exactly what comic relief means," Daniel told him.
"Yes it is."
"No. Comic relief is like... relief painting. The humor provides a contrast to the tragedy and forces you to notice its intensity."
"Since when do you know so much about theater?"
"I was a theatre nerd, Jack."
"You weren't. You couldn't keep something like that from me. I never would have spoken to you."
"All right, I dated a theatre nerd for about three weeks in college."
"And she taught you all about comic relief?"
"He cared a lot about his studies."
"Sounds like you were a perfect match. Why'd you break up?"
"He felt like the relationship was stagnating."
"After three weeks?"
Daniel nodded in confirmation.
Jack frowned. "And this relates to you coming fishing...?"
"Comic relief. That's all Teal'c and I would do -- highlight your -- drama."
"Drama? What are you implying?"
"Lots more than either of us is saying," Daniel said with a sigh.
"Obviously."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Look, I have work to do."
"Yeah. You're dead for just a week, and the paperwork just piles up."
"That's really not fair, Jack. And neither is asking me up to your cabin to watch you and Sam..." he searched for an appropriate expression. "Make eyes at each other."
"That's not why I want you there."
"Jack," Daniel said warningly, and started to move towards the door.
"Look. I missed you." Daniel could tell it was a struggle for Jack to get the words out. "Don't come to the lake because of Carter. Come because you're my friend."
Daniel couldn't help smiling, damn him. He composed himself, turned around, frown firmly in place, and said, "If you put it like that..."
"Please?"
"Will I have to fish?"
"Only if you want to," Jack said, standing up. "Thanks, Daniel."
Daniel nodded. They were going to be okay.
Fandom: Stargate: SG-1
Pairing: Sort of Jack/Daniel, sort of Jack/Sam, sort of gen.
Rating: the letter formerly known as G.
Spoilers: "Threads"
Notes: Because all the darkfic I was writing was killing me, here's some straight-up angst.
Words: 864
Summary: Jack pops the question.
Relief
"I asked Sam fishing."
Daniel hardly registered the "Sam," he was so struck by the "fishing." But he only said mildly, "Again?"
"She said yes," Jack told him.
Daniel didn't blink. "Ah."
Jack didn't blink either, and Daniel wondered if this was going to turn into another staring contest. He'd wasted a lot of good lunch hours like this. "I'm giving everyone downtime."
"How generous of you."
Jack gave him a pleading look, his mouth twisting. Daniel just kept staring, his eyes fixed on Jack's. He wasn't going to be the one to look away.
"You probably need some downtime, what with all the being dead. Kinda takes something out of a guy."
"So you'd think."
"Well?"
"Well what?" Talking to Jack was a calculated exercise in collusion.
"You coming?"
Daniel closed his eyes. Dammit. If Jack was smirking... but he wasn't. Just looking at Daniel, waiting for his answer.
"You said you invited Sam fishing. I haven't just had my appendix out, I've already been to my monthly funeral..."
"So you're free?"
Daniel wondered if Oma removed some of his memories again, like maybe the ones that told him how to understand what Jack was talking about at least thirty percent of the time. "Can we be very clear here? What are you talking about?"
"Fishing," Jack said, and he mimed putting a wriggling worm on a hook, casting a line.
"Yes, I do know how to fish, oddly enough."
Jack didn't care, or didn't hear. "Fishing is a venerable way for stoic people to avoid expressing their emotions. And for people to get food. It's multi-purpose. You coming?"
"Are you asking me?" Daniel wanted to be clear on this before he answered.
Jack shot him a dirty look. "You want me down on my knees?"
"I thought you asked Sam," Daniel tried to explain. "You are going fishing with Sam, aren't you? You, Sam, your cabin..." He tried not to connect the dots, but Jack had practically handed him the pen.
Jack nodded. "Me and Carter, you and Teal'c, fishing, beer. Lots of beer, I figure."
"Ah. Some sort of wacky military bonding thing?"
"Not exactly." Daniel waited for him to clarify. "Do you want me to spell it out? Do you need a slide show?"
"I'm beginning to think so." Jack was wearing that panicked, deer in the headlights look that Daniel recognized from briefings with scientists. That thought led to an idea. "Do you want us there as protection from Sam?"
"I'm a general," was Jack's non-answer. "Career military."
"That's kind of hard to miss." And pretty much confirmed what he thought. The same way Jack would ask him to attend briefings with the social scientists, and always had Sam there when he was talking to other physicists, Jack had asked him along this weekend as an interpreter. Well, he wasn't buying it. "No."
"No?"
Jack's fear was obvious, but Daniel didn't soften. "You want to woo her, you can woo her. I'm not going to be there as comic relief."
"Relief! That's it exactly," Jack said, and ran with it. "You'll be there, and we won't die of tension. Me and Carter, all by ourselves for an entire weekend. You know what would happen."
"I prefer not to think about it."
"So you'll be relief from that."
"That's not exactly what comic relief means," Daniel told him.
"Yes it is."
"No. Comic relief is like... relief painting. The humor provides a contrast to the tragedy and forces you to notice its intensity."
"Since when do you know so much about theater?"
"I was a theatre nerd, Jack."
"You weren't. You couldn't keep something like that from me. I never would have spoken to you."
"All right, I dated a theatre nerd for about three weeks in college."
"And she taught you all about comic relief?"
"He cared a lot about his studies."
"Sounds like you were a perfect match. Why'd you break up?"
"He felt like the relationship was stagnating."
"After three weeks?"
Daniel nodded in confirmation.
Jack frowned. "And this relates to you coming fishing...?"
"Comic relief. That's all Teal'c and I would do -- highlight your -- drama."
"Drama? What are you implying?"
"Lots more than either of us is saying," Daniel said with a sigh.
"Obviously."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Look, I have work to do."
"Yeah. You're dead for just a week, and the paperwork just piles up."
"That's really not fair, Jack. And neither is asking me up to your cabin to watch you and Sam..." he searched for an appropriate expression. "Make eyes at each other."
"That's not why I want you there."
"Jack," Daniel said warningly, and started to move towards the door.
"Look. I missed you." Daniel could tell it was a struggle for Jack to get the words out. "Don't come to the lake because of Carter. Come because you're my friend."
Daniel couldn't help smiling, damn him. He composed himself, turned around, frown firmly in place, and said, "If you put it like that..."
"Please?"
"Will I have to fish?"
"Only if you want to," Jack said, standing up. "Thanks, Daniel."
Daniel nodded. They were going to be okay.