Shakespeare Challenge Entry
May. 4th, 2006 05:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
switch842Title: Nothing
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Characters: Jack/Daniel
Rating: PG-13
Quote: "Nothing comes from nothing"
Summary: It's nothing, but Daniel loves Jack
Warnings: Slash, some angst
Author's Notes: My entry into the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
words_fly_up Challenge. I don't own Stargate, sad as that is.
The translation was driving him crazy. The language they had found on M59-824 was an odd mixture of Greek and Latin - that much he knew. But the sentence structure was all wrong. He had been stuck on one sentence for over two hours now, and no matter how hard he tried, it always came out the same – The pigs of dancing moons sit on their hind legs in the sun. That wasn’t right. It couldn’t be right. It made no sense at all. Not even in the context of the other artifacts and the other lines he had translated, it was complete gibberish.
He threw his glasses down on the desk, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to get rid of the pounding behind his eyes.
“Come in,” he called hesitantly to the knock on the door.
“Danny,” Jack said. “Quitting time. Let’s go. We’ve got tomorrow off, and there’s a game and some beer calling my name that I intend to answer.”
“And what’s in it for me?” Daniel asked in return.
“Good company. Good drink, good food. If you behave yourself. Come on. Champp’s is showing the game tonight and I don’t want to be late. So, let’s go.”
“All right. Let’s go,” Daniel answered.
“That’s it? No whining, no ‘But, Jack’? Come on, Daniel. You’re slipping in your old age.”
“No, I’m not. I’m just tired, my head hurts and I can’t think straight anymore. I’ve spent two hours on this one line and it comes out as complete poppycock every time. I need to get out of here before I drive myself crazy.”
“Good enough for me.” Jack knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. For once, Daniel was ready and willing to leave the mountain at a reasonable time and Jack intended to make full use of it.
After a brief stop by the locker room to change into their civvies, they headed over to Champp’s in Jack’s truck. Daniel would probably crash on Jack’s couch tonight or Jack on his. That usually happened when they went out after work like this.
They arrived at the bar later than Jack wanted to, which meant they had to make do with a little table in the corner of the bar. Daniel realized he was famished as he looked over the menu and decided on a bacon cheeseburger with everything - medium. And a pint of Guinness.
“Guinness?” Jack asked. “You don’t even like beer.”
“I don’t like cheap, American beer,” he corrected. “Guinness is not cheap. It’s thick and rich with a good full head. Besides, I just really need one.”
“Suit yourself. But don’t come crying to me when you wake up in the morning with the mother of all hangovers.”
“One beer won’t give me hangover, Jack. Three or four, well, that’s another story. But I don’t plan on having that many, so you have nothing to worry about.”
The waitress brought their drinks and the two men sat in companionable silence. Jack was watching the game and yelling at the refs with some of the other guys at a near by table. Daniel was watching the man who had somehow become his best friend over the last eight years. He still had no idea how that had happened. They were such opposites in every way. Jack, always military minded, trying to get the job done any way he knew how. Daniel, the civilian scientist, always trying to understand something before deciding whether or not to shoot it - unlike Jack who seemed to have the shoot first, ask questions later mentality. In some ways, he supposed they had become a lot like each other over the years. Jack now, was not always quick to draw. He had come to appreciate Daniel’s need to understand and allowed the young man some leniency in that area. Daniel now, was becoming something of a soldier himself. He had killed in battle, had been killed in battle (several times), he was very capable of defending himself and had even withstood torture. Now that was something he never could have imagine himself having to go through. He shook his head with a small sigh and took another drink of the Guinness.
“What?” Jack asked when he caught Daniel’s eye.
“Nothing. Just thinking.”
“Well, stop it. You do that too much.”
He did. He knew that. But it was how his mind worked. It was always on, thinking things over. Things he had said, things he had done. Even now, that damn translation was still running through his head, taunting him. And, of course, there were his thoughts of Jack. It was a rare moment when Jack wasn’t on his mind. Even in the smallest way, he was always in the back of Daniel’s mind.
It seemed that his thoughts of Jack were beginning to shift, as of late. At first they were the typical friend thoughts—wondering if Jack would like the book he was reading, curious as to how he was spending his evening. Then thoughts of what Jack’s lips on his would feel like crept in. What Jack’s chest hair would feel like rubbing against his skin. While these thoughts were surprising initially, it didn’t really concern him. He’d had a few experiences in college and had always been open minded about that kind of stuff. He knew nothing would ever happen anyway. Jack was straight. Jack was military, for cryin’ out loud. So, he had become content to admire from afar and relish their friendship.
Midway through the game, their waitress came back and Daniel decided he could do with one more Guinness. Jack was driving so there was no need to worry about getting too drunk. He sat back and watched Jack watching the game. He was looking good tonight, here in his element. A big smile on his face whenever Colorado scored, laughing it up with the guys at the next table over.
A few hours later, the game was done and the two were headed home. Daniel was relaxed in the passenger seat of Jack’s truck. He kept turning to gaze at Jack. For some reason, he couldn’t keep his mind of Jack tonight. Perhaps it was his overworked mind and not being able to concentrate on anything. Jack didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he wasn’t saying anything. They rode to Daniel apartment in silence. After all the years between them, talking had become unnecessary.
“You want to come up for some coffee?” Daniel asked when they reached his building.
It wasn’t an unusual request. It was more unusual for Jack not to come up for coffee. Their evenings often continued well into the morning when they had the next day off.
They left Jack’s truck in the visitor’s parking and made their way up to Daniel’s apartment. Still silent the whole way. Jack instantly made himself at home on Daniel’s couch while Daniel got the coffee ready. When it was done, he joined Jack in the living room.
“So, Danny, what’s on your mind?”
“Huh? Why, uh, why would you say that?”
“Because you’ve been quiet all evening. Too quiet. You ramble. A lot. So, what gives?”
“Oh.” Daniel paused a moment, considering how much he should reveal to Jack. He was about to say something when he realized he just couldn't risk the friendship. It was far too important to him. “It’s nothing. Honestly.”
“Daniel.”
“Really. It’s nothing. I must be more tired than usual. That’s all.”
Jack looked at him skeptically. Daniel gave him a small smile in return and sipped his coffee. They relaxed back into the couch and Daniel did his best to be chattier. They found an old movie on cable and talked well into the late hours of the evening. Before he knew it, Daniel looked over and found Jack asleep in the corner of the couch. He chuckled softly before taking their mugs back to the kitchen. Returning to the living room, he gently arranged Jack on the couch and covered him with a blanket.
He sighed as he brushed the hair back from Jack’s forehead. How had it come to this? That Jack was the man he loved. It was positively inconceivable, but there it was.
“It’s nothing, Jack. But I love you,” he whispered and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.
One day.
THE END
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Characters: Jack/Daniel
Rating: PG-13
Quote: "Nothing comes from nothing"
Summary: It's nothing, but Daniel loves Jack
Warnings: Slash, some angst
Author's Notes: My entry into the
words_fly_up Challenge. I don't own Stargate, sad as that is.The translation was driving him crazy. The language they had found on M59-824 was an odd mixture of Greek and Latin - that much he knew. But the sentence structure was all wrong. He had been stuck on one sentence for over two hours now, and no matter how hard he tried, it always came out the same – The pigs of dancing moons sit on their hind legs in the sun. That wasn’t right. It couldn’t be right. It made no sense at all. Not even in the context of the other artifacts and the other lines he had translated, it was complete gibberish.
He threw his glasses down on the desk, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to get rid of the pounding behind his eyes.
“Come in,” he called hesitantly to the knock on the door.
“Danny,” Jack said. “Quitting time. Let’s go. We’ve got tomorrow off, and there’s a game and some beer calling my name that I intend to answer.”
“And what’s in it for me?” Daniel asked in return.
“Good company. Good drink, good food. If you behave yourself. Come on. Champp’s is showing the game tonight and I don’t want to be late. So, let’s go.”
“All right. Let’s go,” Daniel answered.
“That’s it? No whining, no ‘But, Jack’? Come on, Daniel. You’re slipping in your old age.”
“No, I’m not. I’m just tired, my head hurts and I can’t think straight anymore. I’ve spent two hours on this one line and it comes out as complete poppycock every time. I need to get out of here before I drive myself crazy.”
“Good enough for me.” Jack knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. For once, Daniel was ready and willing to leave the mountain at a reasonable time and Jack intended to make full use of it.
After a brief stop by the locker room to change into their civvies, they headed over to Champp’s in Jack’s truck. Daniel would probably crash on Jack’s couch tonight or Jack on his. That usually happened when they went out after work like this.
They arrived at the bar later than Jack wanted to, which meant they had to make do with a little table in the corner of the bar. Daniel realized he was famished as he looked over the menu and decided on a bacon cheeseburger with everything - medium. And a pint of Guinness.
“Guinness?” Jack asked. “You don’t even like beer.”
“I don’t like cheap, American beer,” he corrected. “Guinness is not cheap. It’s thick and rich with a good full head. Besides, I just really need one.”
“Suit yourself. But don’t come crying to me when you wake up in the morning with the mother of all hangovers.”
“One beer won’t give me hangover, Jack. Three or four, well, that’s another story. But I don’t plan on having that many, so you have nothing to worry about.”
The waitress brought their drinks and the two men sat in companionable silence. Jack was watching the game and yelling at the refs with some of the other guys at a near by table. Daniel was watching the man who had somehow become his best friend over the last eight years. He still had no idea how that had happened. They were such opposites in every way. Jack, always military minded, trying to get the job done any way he knew how. Daniel, the civilian scientist, always trying to understand something before deciding whether or not to shoot it - unlike Jack who seemed to have the shoot first, ask questions later mentality. In some ways, he supposed they had become a lot like each other over the years. Jack now, was not always quick to draw. He had come to appreciate Daniel’s need to understand and allowed the young man some leniency in that area. Daniel now, was becoming something of a soldier himself. He had killed in battle, had been killed in battle (several times), he was very capable of defending himself and had even withstood torture. Now that was something he never could have imagine himself having to go through. He shook his head with a small sigh and took another drink of the Guinness.
“What?” Jack asked when he caught Daniel’s eye.
“Nothing. Just thinking.”
“Well, stop it. You do that too much.”
He did. He knew that. But it was how his mind worked. It was always on, thinking things over. Things he had said, things he had done. Even now, that damn translation was still running through his head, taunting him. And, of course, there were his thoughts of Jack. It was a rare moment when Jack wasn’t on his mind. Even in the smallest way, he was always in the back of Daniel’s mind.
It seemed that his thoughts of Jack were beginning to shift, as of late. At first they were the typical friend thoughts—wondering if Jack would like the book he was reading, curious as to how he was spending his evening. Then thoughts of what Jack’s lips on his would feel like crept in. What Jack’s chest hair would feel like rubbing against his skin. While these thoughts were surprising initially, it didn’t really concern him. He’d had a few experiences in college and had always been open minded about that kind of stuff. He knew nothing would ever happen anyway. Jack was straight. Jack was military, for cryin’ out loud. So, he had become content to admire from afar and relish their friendship.
Midway through the game, their waitress came back and Daniel decided he could do with one more Guinness. Jack was driving so there was no need to worry about getting too drunk. He sat back and watched Jack watching the game. He was looking good tonight, here in his element. A big smile on his face whenever Colorado scored, laughing it up with the guys at the next table over.
A few hours later, the game was done and the two were headed home. Daniel was relaxed in the passenger seat of Jack’s truck. He kept turning to gaze at Jack. For some reason, he couldn’t keep his mind of Jack tonight. Perhaps it was his overworked mind and not being able to concentrate on anything. Jack didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he wasn’t saying anything. They rode to Daniel apartment in silence. After all the years between them, talking had become unnecessary.
“You want to come up for some coffee?” Daniel asked when they reached his building.
It wasn’t an unusual request. It was more unusual for Jack not to come up for coffee. Their evenings often continued well into the morning when they had the next day off.
They left Jack’s truck in the visitor’s parking and made their way up to Daniel’s apartment. Still silent the whole way. Jack instantly made himself at home on Daniel’s couch while Daniel got the coffee ready. When it was done, he joined Jack in the living room.
“So, Danny, what’s on your mind?”
“Huh? Why, uh, why would you say that?”
“Because you’ve been quiet all evening. Too quiet. You ramble. A lot. So, what gives?”
“Oh.” Daniel paused a moment, considering how much he should reveal to Jack. He was about to say something when he realized he just couldn't risk the friendship. It was far too important to him. “It’s nothing. Honestly.”
“Daniel.”
“Really. It’s nothing. I must be more tired than usual. That’s all.”
Jack looked at him skeptically. Daniel gave him a small smile in return and sipped his coffee. They relaxed back into the couch and Daniel did his best to be chattier. They found an old movie on cable and talked well into the late hours of the evening. Before he knew it, Daniel looked over and found Jack asleep in the corner of the couch. He chuckled softly before taking their mugs back to the kitchen. Returning to the living room, he gently arranged Jack on the couch and covered him with a blanket.
He sighed as he brushed the hair back from Jack’s forehead. How had it come to this? That Jack was the man he loved. It was positively inconceivable, but there it was.
“It’s nothing, Jack. But I love you,” he whispered and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.
One day.
THE END
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-05 08:51 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-05 12:21 pm (UTC)