By Joy

J/D | Mature | 47 kb | FT
Summary:  As Jack and Daniel suffer some payback, they're also hit by the big ol' clue bus.
Note: Season 7, after Enemy Mine.

Sam sighed with shock, frustration and building anger as she looked at the neon purple ribbon tied in a bow around her laptop. Attached to the ribbon was a message card that read, For a Major who knows how to TAKE LEAVE. She looked around the room once more, hoping against hope that she was just tired, that there weren't bags of pink, purple, and blue cotton candy strategically placed around her lab. A small brown teddy bear sat on her chair. Over its eyes were protective goggles. A card was propped against its belly. Actually, it was more like a mini signboard. It read, Don't make me give you an order!

Pursing her lips with irritation, she moved to the phone, dialed extension #35 and waited for the person to pick up.

"Fraiser."

"Remember what we were talking about earlier?"

"Which subject?"

"The Colonel and his annoying little hints."

"Oh no... he didn't, did he?"

"You warned me, Janet, and I didn't listen. I knew I should have humored him."

"Told you."

"He doesn't need to know everything I plan to do, or that I'm actually going on vacation, providing you've got your paperwork cleared."

"Almost done. Got about another thirty minutes."

"Good."

Janet detected something in Sam's voice. "Sam, what're you planning?"

"I don't think Teal'c's left yet. I'll need the both of you to pull this off."

"Sam, don't mess with the boss."

"He so needs payback, Janet," Sam said defensively.

Janet could just imagine the stubborn brow. "It's not going to get me court-martialed, is it?"

"If it does, we'll be bunkies."

"Sam..."

"You could always say we came down with some alien virus."

"Sam..."

"Janet, he needs this. So does Daniel."

"Why Daniel?"

"Because he wouldn't stop him."

"Sam."

"Oh c'mon, Janet," Sam argued as she grabbed the bear and tossed it across the room. "I saw them together earlier and Daniel's finished his work."

"The Colonel's rubbing off on him, you mean?"

"Well..."

"Sam, don't go there."

"Remember how we were wishing we could put them together and show the blind idiots?"

"What're you thinking?"

"That we kill two birds with one idea."

"Sam, the last idea you had set the commissary on fire."

"Just that chair, Janet."

Janet didn't say anything and Sam smirked, knowing that at the other end of the line, Janet was rolling her eyes.

"Please?"

Janet sighed. "It's a good thing Cassie's on that field trip or I'd say no."

Sam smiled. "Good, I'll go talk to Teal'c and I'll meet you outside of Daniel's office in... forty-five?"

"Fine, but don't make me wait, Sam."

Sam grabbed a handful of the purple cotton candy, a large roll of silver duct tape sitting on one of her shelves, and headed for Teal'c's quarters.

.

Jack leaned against the edge of Daniel's lab table as he played with one of the large rubber bands he'd found on the floor. "How much longer, Daniel?"

Daniel looked up from his papers, eyeing Jack over the rim of his glasses. "If you don't quit bugging me, I'll be another hour. If you'll just be quiet, ten minutes."

Jack rolled his eyes and sighed. Daniel allowed himself a smile and went back to finishing the rest of his report. Sure enough, ten minutes later, it was done. A copy sent to Hammond and a copy to Major Davis at the Pentagon. He shut off the program, then his computer and stood up.

"Done."

"Finally."

Daniel drained the last of his cold coffee, grimaced and set the mug down. "I'd have been done a half hour ago if you'd just waited elsewhere. Shit, Jack, you're like a kid with ADHD."

"Hey, you said you'd finally go fishing with me. I don't want you to change your mind."

"Yeah, well, I'm not. And I'm going prepared. You wanna pretend to fish, that's fine, but I'm taking stuff with me."

"Daniel--"

"Jack, Teal'c told me about that time when I went to Chicago and you pulled that hissy fit at the cabin."

"I did not pull a hissy fit," Jack glowered. "We were supposed to be on leave, Daniel. Remember leave?"

"Yes, but do you remember what being a grown-up is like?"

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Vaguely."

"Wanna explain why that happened?"

"No."

Daniel sighed. "Thought not. Okay, this time, I'm bringing my phone, just in case. You wanna pull apart a phone, use yours, 'cause if you touch mine, I'll kill you."

Jack grinned. "Tough guy."

"Well, c'mon, Jack, no one knows why you pulled that, not even Teal'c."

Jack closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I just... needed the break. And yeah, I was an ass, but I came in the end, didn't I?"

"Okay, yeah, and I get the need for a break, but you... oh never mind." Daniel held up his phone and waggled it back and forth. "No touching."

"Deal. But this is also leave, Daniel. Do you always read on vacation?"

Daniel pretended to think about his answer. "Yes. And sometimes I actually go places."

Jack let out a long groan. "Don't tell me. Museums, seminars, lectures..." He rolled his eyes at the thought.

Daniel walked over to him, his arms folded. "No, sometimes I go sight-seeing, walking, hiking, boating, driv--"

"Boating?" Jack interrupted. "I've a boat, Daniel."

"How big's that pond?"

"It's a lake, Daniel. The cabin's at one end of it."

"Ah huh," Daniel replied doubtfully. "Well, I was referring to actual boating, not sitting in a row boat, waiting for non-existant fish to show up."

Jack sent him a small glare. "Don't get nasty, Daniel."

"Please."

Jack set the rubber band down and folded his arms. "Daniel, I can always go without you."

Daniel eyed him carefully and considered the possibility that the threat was real. "I though you wanted company?"

"I can be by myself quite happily, thank you. And you said you wanted to go. You changing your mind?"

"No, are you?"

"No," Jack said, starting to fidget. "But you're starting to sound like you don't really wanna go fishing," and he gestured at a book stuffed inside the backpack on the lab desk.

Daniel grinned. "I've never really gotten fishing, but I'd like to go anyway. I'd like to spend some with you, hang out. We never do that. And we haven't really been together since you brought me to your place after I came back from Abydos."

"There was O'Malley's," Jack offered, feeling guilty.

Daniel's lips quirked slightly. "Jack, that was you, me, and Sam, wearing those goddamn atonik armbands."

"Right," Jack replied as he stuffed one hand in a trouser pocket. "Okay, point taken. So you want to go... just not fishing?"

Daniel stared at him. "It doesn't really matter to me where or what we're doing. That's the point. We could go camping instead, if you want. That I get."

"Except goin' to the cabin is like camping. It's rustic, out in nature, same thing, only with a roof."

Daniel could tell he was a little disappointed in the fishing thing. "Okay, then teach me how to fish for non-existent fish."

Jack grinned widely. "Deal," he said, then pointed at the book. "And please, unless you can't sleep, keep that to a minimum, okay?"

"Deal," Daniel replied, trying not to look so pleased. Ever since returning from ascension and getting his memories back, they'd been really busy and Daniel had started to feel a little disconnected. He need to be with Jack again, doing something, anything, but preferably, just the two of them. He missed him. And he knew that Jack missed him, too; now, and for the year he'd been gone. What had surprised him was that Jack had even said so a few weeks ago during one of their missions. It had been said in an off-hand way, as if it meant nothing, but Daniel knew better. He knew Jack's tones.

"But next time," Daniel went on, getting an idea.

"Next time?"

"We go somewhere I'd usually go?"

"You never go anywhere," Jack frowned.

"You're never there, how do you know?"

"Spoken like someone who's been gone a year," Jack frowned.

Daniel held up his hand. "Okay, I'm sorry. Just... next time, compromise. How about skiing?"

"Don't ski."

"Speed-boating?" Daniel asked, knowing he'd have Jack with that one. Anything that would go fast and have a good motor would grab Jack's attention.

"You do that?" Jack asked.

"Once upon a time, during a dig in the Yucatan. It was pretty cool, actually."

Jack suddenly grinned mischievously. "Oma must've done more to you than send you back. You've never told me this stuff."

Daniel smirked back at him. "I never had a reason to, till now."

"What's changed?" Jack asked in surprise.

"I dunno. New life, you saying you missed me?"

Jack immediately got uncomfortable. "Yes, well... at least you're listening now."

Daniel rolled his eyes and he tried to feel annoyed, but couldn't. "I always did listen, Jack. It was the other way around, I'm afraid."

"I listened," Jack argued, starting to fidget again.

Daniel just gave him a look, then moved on. To say it was enough sometimes. "Oh, and thanks so much for telling Colonel Edwards I'm a pain in the ass."

Jack sent the smile back, feeling warm and at ease. He'd missed this, too. "Just telling him something most of the base already knows, Daniel."

"Again, very funny. See, I'm laughing here," he said, pointing at his face - which wasn't laughing or smiling, but his eyes were showing fond amusement.

Jack looked back at him and despite the barbs and the occasional disagreements, he felt content. "Okay," he said as he pushed away from the table, "You got your stuff packed at home?"

"By the door," Daniel said, just as the door to his office opened.

The first thing they saw was Teal'c, Intar handgun in hand, then Sam and Janet.

"Uh oh," Daniel said, looking at Jack. "What'd we do?" Jack mouthed "Carter," and Daniel winced. "Shit."

"You know you can get in trouble for..." Jack began, but he took in the look of payback in Teal'c's eyes, the grim set of revenge in Carter's, and the smug look in Janet's. "Okay, so maybe I pushed it this time. Can't we just let bygones be bygones?"

"No," Janet said. Gluing that Roger Rabbit stuffed animal to her medical coat hadn't been all that funny at the time, though she had laughed when she'd gotten home. However, enough was enough.

"Teal'c?" Jack asked. "I just thought you'd like the tie-dyed shirts."

"You took my Hawaiian shirts in return and replaced my music."

"Right. But that was once, and months ago, on April Fool's Day." Jack pursed his lips when Teal'c lifted his chin. "Not forgiving me for it anyway, huh?"

"No."

"Well... what'd I do?" Daniel asked.

"You helped," Sam and Janet answered.

Daniel glanced at Jack and sighed. "You said they'd get a kick out of it."

Jack shrugged. "Guess I was wrong." He turned to the three people in front of him and held out his hands. "C'mon, I apologize," he said, and smiled his best smile.

It didn't work. He looked worriedly at Daniel. "Okay, so I think maybe we went too far."

Daniel nodded and pointed at Teal'c's Intar. "You're not really going to use that--" Two shots and both he and Jack found themselves stunned and on the floor.

"Oh crap," Jack mumbled.

Then came the sound of tape adhesive being pulled off a roll.

"Uh, Jack?" Daniel said with more worry as he tried to move, but before he had a chance to try harder, the ripping sound of tape came as he was rolled face to face with Jack.

"OW!" Jack growled. "I'll have your asses for this," he threatened.

"We will tell the General," Teal'c said.

Daniel cursed himself for taking off his fatigue jacket and knew that Jack was thinking the same. As the tape was wound around his thighs and calves, Daniel was very glad he hadn't changed into his civilian clothes yet. He'd worn shorts to work that morning. "Jack, from now on, we--" He was cut off as tape was laid firmly over his mouth.

"Now wait a goddamn second!" Jack yelled, but found his own mouth quickly covered in tape.

Teal'c lifted the now-bound duo to their feet and shuffled them toward the closet. Janet stood there holding the door open and as the taped duo was pushed to the back of the nearly empty utility closet, she reached over and turned on the low-level light. The bulb flickered, then glowed dully.

Daniel got a reasonably good look at Jack's taped mouth and realized with dread that it was Sam's industrial-strength duct tape. He closed his eyes and groaned. He looked over at Sam, trying to make puppy dog eyes at her, but she wasn't buying it. Without a word, she removed his glasses and set them on his lab table.

"We will return in a few hours," Teal'c told them.

"Have fun," Sam waved as Janet smiled sweetly and closed the door on the two growling men.

Sam gave Teal'c a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, T. I owe you one."

Teal'c smiled at her and nodded at the closet. "When do you actually intend to let them go?"

Sam and Janet exchanged glances. Sam shrugged. "No more than an hour or so. We've got some things to do before we go, but don't worry. If we get held up, I'll call someone to let them out."

Teal'c nodded. "I will delay my departure so you need not return. I shall wait ninety minutes. Is that enough time, Major Carter?"

Sam smiled engagingly and gave Teal'c another kiss. "I now officially owe you two, Teal'c."

"You owe me nothing but I will gladly take payment with dinner."

"Deal," Sam replied, and when Teal'c passed her a wary look, she added, "don't worry. We'll order in or go out." Teal'c's wary expression disappeared as he nodded once, grinning.

When Sam looked at Janet, she caught her friend with a guilty expression. Sam pointed a determined finger. "No second thoughts. Remember, you have ammo in the form of a needle, should he decide to actually press charges, which he won't."

"And you're so sure because?" Janet asked as they left Daniel's office and moved toward the elevator.

Sam lowered her voice, grinning like a fiend. "One, because of what I'm sure will happen in there. Two, everything he's done already will come out and I know for a fact he doesn't want that. So, we're safe."

Janet grudgingly tried a smile. "But what if nothing happens?"

The doors opened and they entered the elevator. As the doors closed, Sam said, "Something will. Providing that their combined UST loosens that tape."

"That's the problem, Sam. They don't have UST," argued Janet.

"They will."

"Romantic," Janet accused.

"Am not. I just want them to stop bugging us. If nothing happens, then we'll just have to be satisfied with plain old revenge."

"Well, I can live with that," Janet said. "And you're still a romantic."

"Bite me."

"What is UST?" Teal'c asked.

.

Jack was pissed off and he didn't waste any time in trying to get free. He dropped his head down and tried to edge the tape off his mouth with his right shoulder. Daniel was trying to do the same. Unfortunately, they both achieved the same results. Nothing.

Growling, Jack turned to the left and tried to use his left shoulder and...knocked his forehead into Daniel's cheek.

Daniel let out a muffled yell and glared as Jack lifted his head, managing to look both apologetic and angry because Daniel's head had gotten in his way.

Daniel dropped his head back against the wall as he found himself developing a headache from that nice little slam into his cheek. Exhaling through his nose, he looked at Jack, trying to get his friend's attention as Jack threat-assessed the closet. When Jack didn't catch his eyes, Daniel bucked his hips at him.

"Jkkk?"

Jack's right brow shot up at the movement. "Dmmmm?"

Daniel tried to talk, but everything came out as "Mmmmm." He sighed with frustration and began threat-assessing the closet, too.

There were no shelves, no broom or mop handles. Just buckets and cleaner sitting in a corner. They both sighed and turned slightly, eyeing the door's frame and knob. Jack nodded at the knob. Daniel nodded back. They edged over. Standing on tip-toe, Jack tried to get hold of the doorknob but his actions nearly tipped them to the floor. Daniel yelled out in warning and Jack nodded, now knowing that that wasn't going to work.

Trying something else, they attempted to stoop in order to get the doorknob underneath the tape between them on Jack's left side. Problem was, they couldn't bend that much and they nearly over-balanced twice. The tape was too firmly wrapped against them.

Sighing, Jack leaned back against the door. His expression told Daniel that he had one more idea to try. He moved up and down on his feet, attempting to loosen the tape using the doorknob. Daniel had no choice but to follow his movements and as they moved, he became aware of two things. One, what Jack was trying to do wasn't working and two, their exertions had inadvertently caused a bit of rubbing against each other's groins. Daniel felt Jack's cock as it pressed against the crease of his right hip and leg. His eyes widened a little bit, and he couldn't help but let out a short laugh.

Feeling Jack's cock wasn't exactly something he'd ever done, not even inadvertently, and the thrill it started to give him throughout his body made him just a bit giddy with embarrassment. He really shouldn't be feeling him because, well, he...shouldn't. He tried to send the thought away and the next one made him laugh again as he realized that Jack dressed to the left. The absurdity of the thought, and the fact that he had it, amused him. A second later, his eyes widened even more and...

Jack moved his head, getting his attention. His expression asked, "What?"

Daniel shook his head. "Nothing."

Jack rolled his eyes, watching Daniel swallow and turn his head to the right. It was obvious that he wasn't looking at anything. There was nothing to look at. He stared harder at Daniel's face and saw the darkening color in his cheeks. For cryin' out loud. Was he blushing? Jack nudged him, forcing Daniel to look at him.

"What?" his expression asked.

Daniel stared into Jack's questioning eyes and quickly covered his expression of shock, appearing bland instead. He had to in order to cover up what he'd just realized.

After feeling Jack dressed to the left, he'd felt Jack's cock...

Move. Grow. Stiffen.

The feeling had sent a flush of warmth through him and he couldn't believe it but...the knowledge combined with the touch had aroused him. The thought that Jack could arouse him...well, it wasn't exactly an everyday surprise, now was it? It wasn't that Daniel hadn't ever felt another man's cock firming against him. It had just been...well, a long time. And it wasn't that he hadn't noticed that Jack was an extremely good-looking man. He'd noticed and had taken a bit of secret pride in it. But he'd never allowed himself to think of Jack that way. It wasn't that he couldn't. He could have. It just wasn't something he consciously felt was necessary.

Jack was just his friend, his best friend. Okay, he loved his best friend, as best friends do, but not in any sexual way. He and Jack were practically polar opposites in the way they thought about things. How likely was it that he'd be attracted to his best friend? It wasn't. Besides, there were things that automatically made Daniel place his mind elsewhere. There was the military mindset and its inherent homophobia. Then there was the job and the accompanying stress. Then there was the fact that Daniel thought of Jack as straight, and right now, he still did. There had been Sara and Charlie, and though marriage and children didn't necessarily mean Jack was straight...Jack still loved them. Didn't that mean he was straight? Daniel had to correct himself. He would always love Shau're, but that didn't mean he was straight.

But Jack? No...the man loved women. He'd had those...dalliances...with women over the last few years. Not that Daniel could call any of his own...associations...dalliances. His were mostly coercions or huge errors in judgment. Of course, Ke'ra had been a rebound thing and once he'd been told about Linea...just...ew. His dick had practically shrivelled up and hid behind his balls and hadn't come back out again for a month...and mostly to become reacquainted with his hand again.

But Jack...well...he could be bi. Right? Maybe? Just the thought of...

Daniel ordered himself to not go there. Jack was straight. Thoughts of anything other than being his best friend were sternly banished. What happened was nothing more than simple friction and male bodies just did this. Time to ignore it and find a way to get this damned tape off. Then...kill Sam. Slowly. He'd work his way to Janet and Teal'c, the tougher targets.

As Daniel's mind worked elsewhere, Jack found himself studying his best friend. He'd seen the blush on his cheeks. That hadn't been his imagination. But what he was suddenly trying to figure out was what could possibly get Daniel to blush...in a closet? Okay, there was the friction between them, the close bodily contact. Could that be it? If so, Jack needed to get Daniel out more, get the man laid.

And suddenly, the thought of getting Daniel laid...bothered him. Why? Why should that bother him? He'd thought of that once or twice before and had it bothered him then? Well...okay, yes, but that was only because he was protective of his best friend. Wasn't that it?

Just as he was trying to figure out what was what, Jack was distracted by what Daniel was now doing. Jack's brows knotted as he watched his friend move practically every muscle in his face in an attempt to loosen the grip of the tape. The resulting facial expressions made Jack begin to laugh.

Daniel stopped. His brows lifted. "What?"

Jack lifted his jaw slightly, indicating that what Daniel was doing was funny.

Daniel rolled his eyes and began again and Jack started to laugh even more. Daniel glared at him as he kept moving his mouth and wrinkling his nose, but after two minutes of Jack laughing at him and realizing he wasn't getting anywhere, Daniel stopped. Now his face hurt and he laughed at himself.

Jack's laughter abated and he started to look away when he caught the look in Daniel's eyes. Daniel was now examining the left edge of the tape over his mouth. The look in Daniel's eyes also made Jack wary. It was that I've got an idea expression and Jack sometimes feared that. They didn't always turn out so good.

He moved his head back warily, hitting it softly against the door. His right brow slowly rose in question. "What?" his eyes asked.

Daniel's cheeks wrinkled in a smile. He tilted his head in that way that told Jack, Hold still, this won't hurt a bit.

Jack eyed him suspiciously as Daniel turned his head to the right and pressed his left cheek against Jack's right. When he began to move his head back and forth in tiny amounts, Jack pulled his head away and shot him a puzzled look.

Daniel tilted his head to the right and looked down at the left side of his own face in the direction of the left side of his taped mouth. A corner of tape seemed to be sticking up. He looked at the left side of Jack's taped mouth and lifted his chin, indicating the tape was loosen there as well.

Jack looked down his cheek but couldn't see if the tape was coming off. However, he did understand what Daniel was getting at. With a sigh, Jack gestured for Daniel to start again.

Sending a thank you to whomever for getting Jack to listen to him, Daniel began again. He felt the corners of the tape catch and kept moving back and forth, attempting to get the tape's adhesive to stick. Why was it that when you didn't want duct tape to stick to itself, it did, but when you wanted it to, it wouldn't?

Daniel sighed with frustration but eventually, the tape began to curl, each end slightly sticking. It loosened and rolled up, nearing the corners of their mouths. Jack was now helping, moving his head in tandem with Daniel's. In an absurd thought, Daniel found it strangely amusing that of all the times he and Jack should think alike in a crisis, this should be one of them. The tape began to catch more firmly now and the corners of their mouths were now exposed.

Daniel snuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth now, wetting the tape and nudging the piece over Jack's. The tape rolled more easily now and their mouths were nearly freed from the tape. Absently, Daniel found that his lips were brushing over Jack's. He was...

Kissing Jack.

Okay, not really kissing. He was passing his lips across Jack's but his attention was focused on removing the tape. The tape was off their mouths now but Daniel still rubbed his cheek against Jack's, trying to remove the remaining tape. So why wasn't he stopping and letting Jack remove his own? And possibly more importantly, why wasn't Jack stopping him?

As the tape peeled back, Jack felt felt something as Daniel's lips brushed across his own again and again. Sparkage. There was sparkage. Daniel's mouth brushed over his and it sent a spark of arousal through Jack that surprised, shocked, and...warmed him. Immensely.

Why the hell hadn't he ever seen this?

Answer:  Because he hadn't needed to, that's why. Daniel was his friend, someone he loved and cared about. Just not...that way. He watched Daniel working to remove the tape from their cheeks and needed to test that sparkage again. Instead of saying anything, he moved his head just when Daniel turned his toward him, and leaned against Daniel's lips as they passed over his again. Yes, there it was again. Well, what the fuck do you know about that?

Just as suddenly as he'd realized it and had begun to accept it, Jack panicked. Daniel was straight. Wasn't he? This was just innocent touching, nothing more. Right? Right. Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

So why was Daniel's cock getting...? And why was his own getting...? Okay, so maybe he was getting hard for a very good reason. A few good reasons. He hadn't gotten any in a while, and though he'd buried his attraction to men for a long time, it didn't mean he was dead. But he was getting hard for Daniel.

Daniel.

Okay, it's not like Jack was that surprised about the attraction. After all, Daniel was a damned gorgeous man, inside and out. But this was Daniel. His best friend. There was a difference between knowing your best friend was good looking and thinking about it. Jack had simply acknowledged it, accepted and moved on. There had never been anything else there. Never. Not even a overly long look at his...

So why now? Why...now?

He caught the look in Daniel's eyes as the last of the tape fell from their faces. The look should have been unreadable...but Jack read him now as well as he ever did. Yes, Daniel also realized that things had just changed between them. Didn't he? Judging by the intense scrutiny, Jack would say so. Daniel didn't seem affronted by this knowledge, nor embarrassed...

Wait. Jack felt where his cock lay firmly nested between them and wondered. Was Daniel aroused by him? Had he turned his face away because...he thought Jack was straight, just as Jack assumed Daniel was, and he hadn't wanted to embarrass either of them?

Well now...

Daniel watched the thoughts dancing behind Jack's eyes as they flickered over his own. He still felt the slight rasp of stubble against his lips and the softness of Jack's against his own as he'd pushed the tape away. What had been that feeling that soared through him, over him, and centered into his belly, his groin? That was what Jack would call sparkage. Wasn't it? He looked down, tilting his head slightly, observing. He wasn't paying attention to the fact that he was pretty much zoning on Jack, zeroing in on his lips for closer inspection.

What the hell was he doing?

Before his mind grabbed the thought and held it down for examination, Daniel pressed his lips against Jack's and truly kissed him. Their lips were slightly parted so the softness was just a touch wet. And...Jack kissed him back.

Daniel moved his head back and licked his lips, his expression of wonder, shock, and finally, fear. What the hell had he just done?

"Oh shit, Jack, I'm s--"

Jack leaned forward and captured his mouth, startling him. Their lips were slightly parted, as before and to Daniel, it felt as if Jack were testing the waters, double-checking his findings. Their lips seemed to tremble slightly with nervousness mixed with arousal.

Neither wanted to mess things up and they were both surprised and elated. Jack broke away, moving his head back slowly. They stared at each other, speechless. It was definitely attraction. Plain and oh...not-so-simple.

Daniel started to speak but suddenly remembered why he was getting the tape off their mouths in the first place. He opened his mouth to yell for help but Jack read his look correctly and stopped him.

"Shhhhh!"

Daniel's brows knotted in confusion. "Excuse me, Jack, but shouldn't we yell for help so that--"

"Do you want people seeing us like this?"

Daniel pursed his lips as he thought about the embarrassing implications and how they'd be sniggered at for weeks, if not months. He also realized that what was happening between them was showing definite signs against their trousers. "Um, right. Okay, so how do we get out of here then?"

"Carter will open the door in a bit."

"How do you know she'll come back?"

"She has to, Daniel. One, this is payback, justifiable payback. We were nagging at her and she wouldn't tell us what she was up to. You and I both agreed that she needed to get out and it wasn't looking like she--"

"Skip to the end, Jack."

Jack growled at him. "Danny..." he said in his sarcastic tone, "if she waits any longer than an hour - two, tops - I won't be able to forgive her for this. Right now, I can."

"'Cause we deserve it?" Daniel asked rhetorically, his mischievous grin showing.

"Right. But if she lets us rot, I'll be pissed off and our payback will be a bitch. Yes?"

"Definitely," Daniel nodded slowly. "So...we just...stand here, waiting?"

"Or we could keep working to get free, or at least get this door open so we can get into your office."

Daniel shook his head. "No, I left my door open and when they left, I didn't hear it close. For the same reason we can't yell for help, neither can we leave this closet." The sudden gay metaphor hit Daniel between the eyes and he started to laugh.

"What?" Jack asked.

"We're in the closet."

"And?"

"Metaphor? Gay...closet..."

Jack groaned. "You've got a twisted sense of humour."

"I find it rather funny actually."

"Good, I'm glad this situation is amusing you."

Daniel frowned and regarded Jack for a moment. "You're mad," he stated.

Jack sighed and looked away from him, staring at the door as a diversion. "No, just...embarrassed."

"By the kisses?"

"Yes," Jack sighed. "By the kisses."

Daniel's frown knotted deeper, both in confusion and anger. He'd thought Jack had liked it. He'd kissed him back, even if it had been brief. Daniel had been thinking that maybe things were looking brighter, more interesting, better. How positively starry-eyed of him.

"Right," he said flatly, looking away. He wanted to say he was sorry, but he wasn't. But more than that, if he said he was sorry, it would lead Jack to apologizing too and Daniel didn't want to hear that. He also didn't want to hear any dismissals of what had just happened between them. If Jack wanted to forget about it, then fine. They'd mastered the art of avoiding things they didn't want to face or talk about so this would only be the latest to be thrown into that dark, little room.

Jack slowly looked up as Daniel replied, catching the note of finality, or rather, futility, in his tone. He took a deep breath, wanting to apologize, but knew it'd be taken wrong. Besides, now was not the time to talk about it. When they got out of here, and went on vacation together, wherever the hell it was that Daniel wanted to go, then they'd talk about it. Provided that Daniel still wanted to go on vacation...and with him. Jack was suddenly sorry for a very different reason. They could read each other so well, but not this time, and it was Jack's fault for Daniel assuming the wrong thing. He let out a long breath, realizing with acute apprehension that they had to talk about it, and right now. Otherwise, no vacation together. Shit.

"Daniel, look at me."

Daniel slowly turned his head to regard the look in those intense, smoky, amber eyes.

"I'm not embarrassed for the reasons you think I am."

"And you know what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. You think I want to forget all about it, don't you?"

Daniel quickly blinked several times. "And you don't?" Jack shook his head. "Okay," he said slowly, "so why are you...embarrassed?"

Jack sighed. "Dammit, I wish you wouldn't make me say these things."

"I'm not making you do or say anything, Jack," Daniel told him seriously, meaning more than just talking.

Jack stared at him for a moment, studying Daniel's expression before he shook his head in agreement. "No, you're not. What I mean is, I wish you could just understand without me having to explain. We can do that with everything else, why not now?"

Daniel considered that for a moment. "Because we've never been in this situation, Jack. We've never...kissed...or thought about it...right?" he asked, looking for confirmation.

Jack shook his head. "No thoughts, no."

"Okay, so, we just can't read each other that way...yet. So...we have to...you know, talk."

Jack wrinkled his nose. "Crap."

"Yeah, I know." He looked at Jack for a moment, thinking about what Jack had just said. He wasn't embarrassed. That was good, right? Daniel arched both brows in query. "Okay, and you're embarrassed because...?"

Jack tried to form his feelings into words but he couldn't. "I don't know how to say..."

"Just talk, don't think. You're embarrassed because..."

"Because I feel like we missed something right in front of us."

Daniel smiled. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Jack grumbled. "I feel the same, by the way. So..."

"So...?"

"Are we okay about this between us or...? 'Cause if we bury something like this, it'll just make things awkward, and our vacation would suck."

Jack suddenly smirked at the word suck. Images came into his mind.

Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Jack...don't go there."

"Where?" Jack teased back.

"You know."

Jack suddenly grinned wide.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"I thought we couldn't read each other that way?" he asked, almost proud.

Daniel thought about it as he stared back into his friend's eyes. "Guess we can...at least with filthy innuendo, which isn't that far off from telling each other dirty jokes like we do all the time anyway, and that reminds me..."

Daniel's voice faded as he felt Jack's dick twitch. He stared at Jack's enigmatic smile then slowly smiled back. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"It's better than, Shut up, Daniel."

"Which I hope to never hear again unless you're teasing or planning on following up those words in another way."

"Why Doctor Jackson, are you flirting with me?" Jack teased.

Daniel leaned in and brushed his lips over Jack's. "Yes. Mind if we kiss again?"

Jack's mouth opened in answer and found Daniel's tongue tentatively moving between his lips, exploring. Jack stared into Daniel's eyes, watching his reaction as well as feeling his own as he allowed Daniel to find his tongue. They met, tasted, and quickly wanted more. Their breathing immediately quickened and Jack found his eyes closing as Daniel pressed in for a long, deep kiss.

Jack was simply amazed at how well Daniel kissed. Now that the initial shock was out of the way, Jack had no intention of stopping, either. He enjoyed the slight burn as the stubble over their lips and chins grazed against each other. It thrilled him, excited him, and he wanted more. He wanted to touch, and was extremely frustrated that he couldn't. Goddamn that Carter. But then, if it hadn't been for her...

Jack suddenly pulled back, startling Daniel.

"What?" Daniel asked, puzzled.

"Carter. I'm wondering..."

"...if she didn't do this for a different reason?" Daniel finished. He then smiled that their thinking was still the same.

Jack grinned and nodded. "Think she...?"

They regarded each other for a moment, then shook their heads. "Nahhh," they said.

"So...where were we?" Jack asked.

"Um, that pesky talking thing."

"Oh...right...except we weren't talking."

"Right."

"To answer that earlier question, Daniel, yes, I'm okay with this."

Daniel gave him a crooked smile. He was very pleased. "I hope so 'cause otherwise, the signals I'm getting...if you decided to say no, I'd have to kill you for being a prick tease."

"Okay, putting aside the signals part for the moment, are you okay with this?"

Daniel stared long into Jack's questioning eyes before answering. There was hope reflecting back, wasn't there? Daniel slowly nodded. "Yes, I'm definitely okay about this. But..."

"But?"

"This...it feels...weird."

Jack considered it for a moment. "It does."

"Not that that's a bad thing."

"No."

"And you know what?" Daniel asked him as he eyed his lips again.

"What?"

"I don't care."

"Me, either."

Jack abruptly rolled them around so that Daniel's back was now flat against the door. Daniel's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He was speechless. The act was highly provocative and extremely arousing. When they'd kissed before and he'd felt his cock thickening, that had been a slow wanting. Judging from the sudden throbbing, this was now a demand.

"Nice...move," he whispered just before Jack's mouth locked over his own for a new, more fervent, kiss. Daniel's senses were now hyper-aware as he felt Jack's body against him. He writhed, then rocked his hips, trying to thrust. The action did as he hoped and Jack pressed him against the door, his body rubbing as firmly as the tape would allow.

Daniel growled and the sound forced Jack to groan back in response. Jack felt the electric frisson firing through his groin now. He was getting off on this and didn't want to stop. Which meant that somehow, it would be stopped for him. He had a feeling...

Sure enough...

The door opened and they fell to the floor. Groaning at the impact, when they looked up, they found themselves looking into the upsidedown face of Teal'c.

"Hey Teal'c," Jack said, trying for matter-of-fact and succeeding...almost.

"O'Neill," Teal'c said smugly. He produced the knife from Daniel's lab table and quickly sliced the tape along Jack's right side and Daniel's left.

"Hey, you wanna be careful with that knife, Teal'c?" Daniel asked, watching as the knife neared his hip. He looked up and smiled apprehensively at his large friend.

"I would not harm you," Teal'c said, then added, "much."

Daniel gave out a nervous laugh while Jack simply rumbled deep in his throat. They were now separated on one side, but instead of continuing to free them, Teal'c handed the knife to Daniel and straightened.

"I have waited the allotted time and I am now late for my vacation. Therefore, I bid you farewell. Daniel Jackson, please be careful on your leave."

"Um, thanks."

"What about me?" Jack asked, trying to figure out if he should be insulted.

"You do not need warnings, O'Neill. You need to come with them."

Daniel sniggered and Jack glared at him.

"Daniel Jackson?"

"Teal'c?"

"As much as you would like to, do not kill O'Neill."

Daniel grinned at Jack as the man rolled his eyes at Teal'c.

"Thanks, Teal'c," Jack told him.

Teal'c grinned and left the room, leaving them lying on the floor. Daniel sniggered as he started to slice the tape at their thighs.

"What's so funny?"

"He thinks we're going to the cabin."

Jack grumbled to himself as Daniel kept slicing. They ended up grimacing as they rolled and pulled the tape off their arms, but at least the rest of the tape around their legs was easy enough to get out of.

"Speaking of leave, where are we going?" Jack asked as they finally stood up, each rubbing their arms where the hair had pulled off.

Daniel smiled. "You'll see."

Jack gave him an impatient look.

"I promise, Jack. You'll like it. No egghead stuff around anywhere."

"Except maybe you."

Grabbing his keys, Daniel shoved Jack out of the door and closed it behind him. "Very funny."

As they walked to the elevator, Daniel swallowed, hard. He was watching Jack's ass. Remembering where he was he looked up. They reached the elevator just as someone was exiting so there was no delay. Daniel was thankful. He felt sure he was blushing and needed to make it go away...quickly. Especially before...

Jack frowned at him.

"What?" Daniel asked innocently as he pushed the button for the floor to their locker room.

"You're blushing, Daniel."

Daniel cleared his throat and turned away. Jack leaned against the back wall and folded his arms, preparing for some major teasing, when his eyes slid down Daniel's body. Daniel wasn't wearing his fatigue jacket as it was in his hands so it was Jack's turn to swallow as he got a good look at the full, muscular line of...

Jack cleared his throat and the sound made Daniel look over his shoulder. He found where Jack was looking and smiled brilliantly. "Now you know why I was blushing. I did that in the corridor. Soooo not a good place for that."

Jack grinned as he nodded once. "Gotcha."

Daniel moved back to lean against the wall next to Jack and when he glanced up he saw Jack frowning again. "What now?"

"I was just trying to decide whether or not to thank Carter or tie her to a tree infested with fire ants."

Daniel winced. "That's a little harsh. I vote for thanking her."

Jack gave Daniel a very specific look, which Daniel would soon learn meant 'I want you'. "Me, too," Jack replied. "Think they have flowers in pink, purple, and blue?"

"Jack," Daniel drawled.

Jack gave the look again.

"What? What's that look mean?"

"You'll find out. And I want to hear you say that again, only later."

"Say what?"

"My name, drawn out like that."

Daniel allowed a slow grin to spread across his face. "I don't think that'll be a problem. I have this sneaky suspicion that you're a tease."

"Me?" Jack asked, pretending to be insulted. He stared him fixedly, wondering if his next words would create the appropriate response. "Only when you're tied up, Jackson."

Daniel coughed. He wasn't embarrassed. Far from it. Just the opposite, in fact. The thought of being tied down and teased...

He cleared his throat. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you say we start this vacation tomorrow...or the next day?"

Jack smiled wolfishly. Daniel was so easy...well, this way, anyway.

As they made their way to the locker room, Daniel stopped in the middle of the corridor. "Shit."

"What?"

"I left my glasses in my office." He turned round and headed back to the elevator.

"Not normally forgetful, Doctor Jackson," Jack teased.

"I can see it now."

"What's that?" Jack asked, unable to resist.

Daniel smirked at him as the elevator doors opened. As he stepped inside, he whispered over his shoulder, "Thinking about having sex with you is gonna make me forgetful."

The words 'having sex' reverberated in Jack's ears as he crossed the threshold...and tripped. "Dammit, Daniel."

Daniel smiled.

~

end