fic: then/now
Fandom: Stargate SG1
Pairing: Jack/Daniel
no spoilers, no warnings.
Summary: it's a backstory of jack for a much larger story that i wrote (called if/then).
Jack met Dave when he was at the Academy. They joked about hockey, and when Dave told Jack he was in law school, Jack teased him and said he they couldn’t be friends. When he walked into his apartment for the first time and saw Dave’s paintings, he laughed, made a joke about cartoons, and asked how they had anything in common. When Dave’s paintbrush touched Jack’s skin for the first time, he knew he was in trouble.
Jack would see Dave and everyone they knew thought they were old childhood friends. Dave would have a party, and Jack would stay at the end to help him clean up. Their friends would joke that Jack was Dave’s bitch, and when Jack would leave Dave’s the next morning, he was sometimes inclined to agree.
Jack was promoted to Lieutenant, and then to Captain. With the promotion to Captain, his commanding officer told him he should find a nice girl and introduced him to Sara. They were married one year later. Dave was the best man, and while they waited for the wedding to begin in a room at the back of the church, Dave told him to be strong. When tears rolled down Jack’s face, Jack’s groomsmen told him reassuring stories about their own cold feet, and Dave bit his lip.
Jack would leave Dave’s house after a night of watching hockey with the taste of beer in his mouth and wine on his lips. Sara would pick him up and wave to Dave, and Jack would walk behind her to the car; and if he walked a little slower than normal, she never said anything (except for once, when she said he’d had too much to drink.)
Jack cried from happiness when Sara told him she was pregnant. Two days later, he went to Dave’s and cried while Dave held him. Jack left with a tear stained shirt. He burned it.
Every time he saw Dave after that, they would watch hockey from opposite ends of the couch, and when Jack left, he’d walk quickly to his car without ever looking back.
Dave saw Charlie once, and when he saw the smile on Jack’s face, finally understood it was over. He moved to New York.
Jack made Charlie and Sara his life, and as Charlie grew up, Jack tried to atone for the mistakes Sara never knew he made. When Charlie died, everything fell apart.
The moment Jack spoke to Daniel, he knew.
When Daniel decided to stay on Abydos, Jack tried to convince him to return, but his heart wasn’t in it. It would be easier if he stayed away.
When Jack returned to Earth, he called Dave. He apologized and Dave said he understood. Jack didn’t know if he did, but he appreciated the gesture. He flew to New York that weekend, and when he saw Dave with his new partner, he felt a strange sense of peace. They stayed in contact after that, and they would see each other on rare occasions.
When Jack found himself staring, yet again, at a wormhole, he told himself that this would not change anything. He thought about Dave and the military and told himself that they Did Not Mix. He threw the Kleenex box through and secretly hoped Daniel wouldn’t respond.
Daniel returned, lost and confused. Jack tried to be a friend, and tried to keep his distance. When Daniel was officially assigned to SG1, Jack decided to find a hobby.
His paintings were never very good, and he hid them in the spare room closet. They served as a time waster and a reminder. Every time he painted someone that looked a little bit like a man with sandy brown hair, he would burn it and rationalize it as classified. He eventually held a bonfire and burned them all, and when he woke up with a hangover and three messages from Dave asking him what was wrong, he told himself he needed distance. Monday morning came, and nothing changed.
And when Jack was at Daniel’s with the rest of SG1, he decided he needed a box of Kleenex. Every box he saw was empty, and when he started opening up drawers, he pretended he didn’t a picture of a younger Daniel with another man. Daniel had his arm around the man he was with, and the smile on Daniel’s face told Jack everything he needed to know. He gently placed the picture back where he found it and ignored the others that he saw. He didn’t need to see them. He left, citing an early game of road hockey as his reason. When he got to his car, he kicked his tires and swore. He was elated and terrified, and when he got home, he drank until dawn.
When Dave was in Colorado, he went to visit Jack. They talked about life, about love, about the past. When Dave was getting ready to leave, Jack saw Daniel’s car on the road. And when he opened the door and Dave leaned in to kiss his cheek, Jack panicked but didn’t stop him. When he heard the car speed away, Dave asked about the neighbourhood, and Jack shrugged and blamed it on teenagers watching racing movies.
Jack spent the weekend pacing, staring at the phone, and dreading Monday; but by Sunday evening, Jack decided that he spent his days saving the world from alien attacks and if that didn’t give him any benefits, he was finding a new job.
When Jack looked at Daniel on Monday morning and saw the fear in his eyes, Jack almost changed his mind. Daniel didn’t seem to notice that anything was different with Jack, but Jack felt his hands shaking when he handed Daniel a folder during a meeting. When Daniel held onto the folder for just a moment too long, Jack knew he couldn’t turn back. He decided then and there that he was tired of waiting for something that would never come, and when he smiled at Daniel and Daniel smiled back, he knew it was the right decision.
Pairing: Jack/Daniel
no spoilers, no warnings.
Summary: it's a backstory of jack for a much larger story that i wrote (called if/then).
Jack met Dave when he was at the Academy. They joked about hockey, and when Dave told Jack he was in law school, Jack teased him and said he they couldn’t be friends. When he walked into his apartment for the first time and saw Dave’s paintings, he laughed, made a joke about cartoons, and asked how they had anything in common. When Dave’s paintbrush touched Jack’s skin for the first time, he knew he was in trouble.
Jack would see Dave and everyone they knew thought they were old childhood friends. Dave would have a party, and Jack would stay at the end to help him clean up. Their friends would joke that Jack was Dave’s bitch, and when Jack would leave Dave’s the next morning, he was sometimes inclined to agree.
Jack was promoted to Lieutenant, and then to Captain. With the promotion to Captain, his commanding officer told him he should find a nice girl and introduced him to Sara. They were married one year later. Dave was the best man, and while they waited for the wedding to begin in a room at the back of the church, Dave told him to be strong. When tears rolled down Jack’s face, Jack’s groomsmen told him reassuring stories about their own cold feet, and Dave bit his lip.
Jack would leave Dave’s house after a night of watching hockey with the taste of beer in his mouth and wine on his lips. Sara would pick him up and wave to Dave, and Jack would walk behind her to the car; and if he walked a little slower than normal, she never said anything (except for once, when she said he’d had too much to drink.)
Jack cried from happiness when Sara told him she was pregnant. Two days later, he went to Dave’s and cried while Dave held him. Jack left with a tear stained shirt. He burned it.
Every time he saw Dave after that, they would watch hockey from opposite ends of the couch, and when Jack left, he’d walk quickly to his car without ever looking back.
Dave saw Charlie once, and when he saw the smile on Jack’s face, finally understood it was over. He moved to New York.
Jack made Charlie and Sara his life, and as Charlie grew up, Jack tried to atone for the mistakes Sara never knew he made. When Charlie died, everything fell apart.
The moment Jack spoke to Daniel, he knew.
When Daniel decided to stay on Abydos, Jack tried to convince him to return, but his heart wasn’t in it. It would be easier if he stayed away.
When Jack returned to Earth, he called Dave. He apologized and Dave said he understood. Jack didn’t know if he did, but he appreciated the gesture. He flew to New York that weekend, and when he saw Dave with his new partner, he felt a strange sense of peace. They stayed in contact after that, and they would see each other on rare occasions.
When Jack found himself staring, yet again, at a wormhole, he told himself that this would not change anything. He thought about Dave and the military and told himself that they Did Not Mix. He threw the Kleenex box through and secretly hoped Daniel wouldn’t respond.
Daniel returned, lost and confused. Jack tried to be a friend, and tried to keep his distance. When Daniel was officially assigned to SG1, Jack decided to find a hobby.
His paintings were never very good, and he hid them in the spare room closet. They served as a time waster and a reminder. Every time he painted someone that looked a little bit like a man with sandy brown hair, he would burn it and rationalize it as classified. He eventually held a bonfire and burned them all, and when he woke up with a hangover and three messages from Dave asking him what was wrong, he told himself he needed distance. Monday morning came, and nothing changed.
And when Jack was at Daniel’s with the rest of SG1, he decided he needed a box of Kleenex. Every box he saw was empty, and when he started opening up drawers, he pretended he didn’t a picture of a younger Daniel with another man. Daniel had his arm around the man he was with, and the smile on Daniel’s face told Jack everything he needed to know. He gently placed the picture back where he found it and ignored the others that he saw. He didn’t need to see them. He left, citing an early game of road hockey as his reason. When he got to his car, he kicked his tires and swore. He was elated and terrified, and when he got home, he drank until dawn.
When Dave was in Colorado, he went to visit Jack. They talked about life, about love, about the past. When Dave was getting ready to leave, Jack saw Daniel’s car on the road. And when he opened the door and Dave leaned in to kiss his cheek, Jack panicked but didn’t stop him. When he heard the car speed away, Dave asked about the neighbourhood, and Jack shrugged and blamed it on teenagers watching racing movies.
Jack spent the weekend pacing, staring at the phone, and dreading Monday; but by Sunday evening, Jack decided that he spent his days saving the world from alien attacks and if that didn’t give him any benefits, he was finding a new job.
When Jack looked at Daniel on Monday morning and saw the fear in his eyes, Jack almost changed his mind. Daniel didn’t seem to notice that anything was different with Jack, but Jack felt his hands shaking when he handed Daniel a folder during a meeting. When Daniel held onto the folder for just a moment too long, Jack knew he couldn’t turn back. He decided then and there that he was tired of waiting for something that would never come, and when he smiled at Daniel and Daniel smiled back, he knew it was the right decision.