Still cheating with Jack and Daniel
Nov. 8th, 2004 04:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusSo, reading SG-1 slash, I got sick of... I dunno, the small-mindedness of Jack/Daniel. For all the scope of the issues explored on the show, the slash seemed to focus on three themes:
- Jack and Daniel have sex due to off-world whammy
- Jack and Daniel are sleeping together and there are 'don't ask, don't tell' issues
- Jack and Daniel slowly develop a sexual relationship and deal with [insert name(s) here]'s issues about it
And then there's the fluff 'Jack and Daniel's Christmas' or 'Jack and Daniel go shopping.' The best of each version has a Stargate SG-1 plot, but, I dunno. How many times can you read a variation on the same story, over and over again.
Okay. I can read them thousands of times if they're believable and have hot sex.
But I decided to do something a little different anyway.
Arguing With The Gods
by Icarus
Daniel took a deep breath and squirmed under the covers. The last wisps of a dream faded -- the grinning statue of Central American god Quetzalcoatl telling him that the Gou'ald didn't destroy cultures, merely added to them, and Daniel's fervent rebuttal. He wasn't sure what he'd said but it was a brilliant reply. The temple thundered around them, then collapsed in a shower of rocks, though that wasn't a problem somehow. He won the argument, he was sure of it, when the statue fell into the sea still grinning, and he felt a smug sense of victory as he tugged at the blanket. His shoulder was cold.
The blanket was stuck.
He yanked again, his eyebrows drawn together. He hated that… why did people tuck in the corners? People moved in their sleep, they didn't need to be shrink-wrapped. This was yet another thing indigenous societies had on so-called 'modern' man.
Daniel gave it a good yank, intending to untuck the corners for good -- or at least the rest of the night -- and heard a grunt. The blanket pulled back out of his hand.
Okay.
Exposed to the waist, quickly registering he was naked and, no, he didn't usually sleep in the nude, Daniel rolled over and stared at the dark shape stretched out next to him.
"Hmmrmt's your turn…." Jack mumbled and cuddled into the pillow.
My turn for what? Which was not the most important question of the moment, but certainly bothered Daniel, as images of the night before came tumbling back, blending with the sleep-muzzed realization that he hadn't really won that argument with Quetzalcoatl, and he couldn't remember his any of his brilliant points either. They could have proved useful, he was certain. He'd lost last night's argument with Jack, too, though it was more, well, interrupted than anything else.
The threads of it came back to him. He didn't feel like he was sleeping with someone -- instead he was repeatedly losing arguments due to his opponent's superior capacity to distract. It was technique rather than substance, a sort of physical sophistry.
Jack reached for him, and, okay, it was one way to get some of the blanket back. A better way, actually. Jack's body heat enveloped him, and Daniel wondered how one man could be so warm.
"'S wrong?" Jack breathed, eyes shut. Daniel loosely translated this to 'what's wrong?' His breath was foul, so Daniel maneuvered onto his back, tucked his arms behind his head, and Jack's arm slid and draped heavily across his chest.
"I think lost a debate."
Jack snorted. "Did I win?"
"No. Quetzalcoatl fell into the ocean before we finished."
"Oh."
Jack's scratchy chin nuzzled against Daniel's shoulder.
"Good."
Jack sighed and hugged Daniel's chest tightly. "I was full of shit anyway. No way the Gou'ald ever did any good like the Asgard. Was just yanking your chain… I like pissing you off these days." Jack lipped softly at his shoulder. "Big guy."
Daniel sighed heavily, too distracted to do anything but ignore Jack's love bite, even as he put a little tooth behind it, then kissed the abused spot.
"But you shouldn't have been able to win it at all. The fact is, your case had intellectual merit." Daniel was starting to feel really depressed, distantly aware it was probably some combination of the come down from sex, tiredness and just general… tiredness.
"Ah, jeeze. The fuckin' Nazis had intellectual merit." Jack's eyes glimmered at him in the dark. "Shooting people up with all sorts of fucked up shit in the name of 'science.' What they didn't have was morals." Jack's voice was rich and deep. Tired. "You tell that to Coca-Cola next time you see him."
"Quetzalcoatl."
"Yeah. Him."
Daniel shifted to his side, his legs tangling with Jack's pleasantly. He leaned up on an elbow and braved Jack's morning breath, or middle-of-the-night breath as the case may be. His eyes still felt sealed together with sleep as he blinked into the half-light to make out Jack's expression, the firm line of his mouth.
"Trouble is, you can't argue morality with someone who's amoral. They won't understand it."
"Of course not. That's why you shoot them."
That took the wind out of his sails. Daniel looked up at the ceiling and for one brilliant suspended moment, it all made sense. Jack made sense.
It was all so simple.
Then Daniel dipped his head. "Your solution itself is amoral. Whoever shoots first, wins. That makes the Gou'ald's case for them, and it's circular: they won, therefore they deserved to win? We won, therefore we deserved to win? It doesn't make sense."
"So what're you gonna do -- argue with them?"
"No…" Daniel said slowly. "But don't you think I should be able to win the debate?"
Jack glared at him, obviously irritated and not pleased he was arguing ethics at… oh -- Daniel checked the glowing green dial of the clock -- three twenty am. "So why do they have to understand it?" he growled.
"What?"
"You heard me. Why do they have to understand? You said you can't argue morality with them. But why dumb it down for the, um, morally retarded?"
"You mean I'm throwing away my best arguments in hopes of reaching them."
"Um…yeah. I guess. Something like that."
There was a long silence, interrupted by the soft shift of cotton sheets as Daniel wrapped an arm over his forehead. His eyes focused intensely on some point beyond Jack's bedroom.
"Did I just solve the mysteries of the known universe?" Jack said to the air, making a vague gesture. His voice was tinged with irony.
"I'm thinking."
"Because, you know, if I did," Jack continued in his Minnesota drawl, "I think I deserve at least a blowjob for that. Maybe two."
There was a meaty thump as Daniel punched his shoulder. Jack shoved him back contentedly. "Hey! Ow. Now see if I help you next time, Grasshopper. No respect for your elders."
"Oh shut up, Jack. Your solution was to shoot them."
"Ah-so, Grasshoppah," Jack deadpanned, stretching. He gave Daniel a smug smile. "And pee-pee on their Coca-Cola, too."
I guess the point is to challenge the reader intellectually. Yes, even with Jack/Daniel. Jack's not stupid, you know.
- Jack and Daniel have sex due to off-world whammy
- Jack and Daniel are sleeping together and there are 'don't ask, don't tell' issues
- Jack and Daniel slowly develop a sexual relationship and deal with [insert name(s) here]'s issues about it
And then there's the fluff 'Jack and Daniel's Christmas' or 'Jack and Daniel go shopping.' The best of each version has a Stargate SG-1 plot, but, I dunno. How many times can you read a variation on the same story, over and over again.
Okay. I can read them thousands of times if they're believable and have hot sex.
But I decided to do something a little different anyway.
Arguing With The Gods
by Icarus
Daniel took a deep breath and squirmed under the covers. The last wisps of a dream faded -- the grinning statue of Central American god Quetzalcoatl telling him that the Gou'ald didn't destroy cultures, merely added to them, and Daniel's fervent rebuttal. He wasn't sure what he'd said but it was a brilliant reply. The temple thundered around them, then collapsed in a shower of rocks, though that wasn't a problem somehow. He won the argument, he was sure of it, when the statue fell into the sea still grinning, and he felt a smug sense of victory as he tugged at the blanket. His shoulder was cold.
The blanket was stuck.
He yanked again, his eyebrows drawn together. He hated that… why did people tuck in the corners? People moved in their sleep, they didn't need to be shrink-wrapped. This was yet another thing indigenous societies had on so-called 'modern' man.
Daniel gave it a good yank, intending to untuck the corners for good -- or at least the rest of the night -- and heard a grunt. The blanket pulled back out of his hand.
Okay.
Exposed to the waist, quickly registering he was naked and, no, he didn't usually sleep in the nude, Daniel rolled over and stared at the dark shape stretched out next to him.
"Hmmrmt's your turn…." Jack mumbled and cuddled into the pillow.
My turn for what? Which was not the most important question of the moment, but certainly bothered Daniel, as images of the night before came tumbling back, blending with the sleep-muzzed realization that he hadn't really won that argument with Quetzalcoatl, and he couldn't remember his any of his brilliant points either. They could have proved useful, he was certain. He'd lost last night's argument with Jack, too, though it was more, well, interrupted than anything else.
The threads of it came back to him. He didn't feel like he was sleeping with someone -- instead he was repeatedly losing arguments due to his opponent's superior capacity to distract. It was technique rather than substance, a sort of physical sophistry.
Jack reached for him, and, okay, it was one way to get some of the blanket back. A better way, actually. Jack's body heat enveloped him, and Daniel wondered how one man could be so warm.
"'S wrong?" Jack breathed, eyes shut. Daniel loosely translated this to 'what's wrong?' His breath was foul, so Daniel maneuvered onto his back, tucked his arms behind his head, and Jack's arm slid and draped heavily across his chest.
"I think lost a debate."
Jack snorted. "Did I win?"
"No. Quetzalcoatl fell into the ocean before we finished."
"Oh."
Jack's scratchy chin nuzzled against Daniel's shoulder.
"Good."
Jack sighed and hugged Daniel's chest tightly. "I was full of shit anyway. No way the Gou'ald ever did any good like the Asgard. Was just yanking your chain… I like pissing you off these days." Jack lipped softly at his shoulder. "Big guy."
Daniel sighed heavily, too distracted to do anything but ignore Jack's love bite, even as he put a little tooth behind it, then kissed the abused spot.
"But you shouldn't have been able to win it at all. The fact is, your case had intellectual merit." Daniel was starting to feel really depressed, distantly aware it was probably some combination of the come down from sex, tiredness and just general… tiredness.
"Ah, jeeze. The fuckin' Nazis had intellectual merit." Jack's eyes glimmered at him in the dark. "Shooting people up with all sorts of fucked up shit in the name of 'science.' What they didn't have was morals." Jack's voice was rich and deep. Tired. "You tell that to Coca-Cola next time you see him."
"Quetzalcoatl."
"Yeah. Him."
Daniel shifted to his side, his legs tangling with Jack's pleasantly. He leaned up on an elbow and braved Jack's morning breath, or middle-of-the-night breath as the case may be. His eyes still felt sealed together with sleep as he blinked into the half-light to make out Jack's expression, the firm line of his mouth.
"Trouble is, you can't argue morality with someone who's amoral. They won't understand it."
"Of course not. That's why you shoot them."
That took the wind out of his sails. Daniel looked up at the ceiling and for one brilliant suspended moment, it all made sense. Jack made sense.
It was all so simple.
Then Daniel dipped his head. "Your solution itself is amoral. Whoever shoots first, wins. That makes the Gou'ald's case for them, and it's circular: they won, therefore they deserved to win? We won, therefore we deserved to win? It doesn't make sense."
"So what're you gonna do -- argue with them?"
"No…" Daniel said slowly. "But don't you think I should be able to win the debate?"
Jack glared at him, obviously irritated and not pleased he was arguing ethics at… oh -- Daniel checked the glowing green dial of the clock -- three twenty am. "So why do they have to understand it?" he growled.
"What?"
"You heard me. Why do they have to understand? You said you can't argue morality with them. But why dumb it down for the, um, morally retarded?"
"You mean I'm throwing away my best arguments in hopes of reaching them."
"Um…yeah. I guess. Something like that."
There was a long silence, interrupted by the soft shift of cotton sheets as Daniel wrapped an arm over his forehead. His eyes focused intensely on some point beyond Jack's bedroom.
"Did I just solve the mysteries of the known universe?" Jack said to the air, making a vague gesture. His voice was tinged with irony.
"I'm thinking."
"Because, you know, if I did," Jack continued in his Minnesota drawl, "I think I deserve at least a blowjob for that. Maybe two."
There was a meaty thump as Daniel punched his shoulder. Jack shoved him back contentedly. "Hey! Ow. Now see if I help you next time, Grasshopper. No respect for your elders."
"Oh shut up, Jack. Your solution was to shoot them."
"Ah-so, Grasshoppah," Jack deadpanned, stretching. He gave Daniel a smug smile. "And pee-pee on their Coca-Cola, too."
I guess the point is to challenge the reader intellectually. Yes, even with Jack/Daniel. Jack's not stupid, you know.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-11-07 05:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-07 06:05 pm (UTC)You know, the worst part about posting on a Sunday night is nobody ever reads the story. ;)
Icarus
Ha! I did too read it! :)
Date: 2004-11-07 07:50 pm (UTC)So, I feel obliged to point out that I did indeed read your Jack/Daniel (BTW, are there whiskey jokes in there somewhere?) on a Sunday night, and it was great fun. *grin* I'm not really into this fandom, but doggone it, I'll read just about anything you write, and it's nearly always worth it. *looking suitably embarrassed* Anyway, I loved this. It was just what the doctor ordered. I love Jack's practicality and Daniel's careful scrutinization of the situation. Mmmm... and when Jack pointed out that the Nazis had "intellectual merit," I wanted to jump up and down and hug him because it's true. All the really horrible things that people have done have had some bizarre justification somewhere that convinced people that it was ok (or, worse, even right). Always. That's what makes them scary. *shiver* Anyway, what I really wanted to say was thanks for a lovely little ficlet in which intellectual conversations, dreams, and realistic every-day human interactions mixed. Bless you for your talent. :) *bounce*
-Matilda Baggins
Re: Ha! I did too read it! :)
Date: 2004-11-07 09:04 pm (UTC)Mmmm... and when Jack pointed out that the Nazis had "intellectual merit," I wanted to jump up and down and hug him because it's true.
Absolutely. Of course, Jack doesn't realize that the conclusion Daniel reached is that, like the Nox, if the race has a morally superior view, it can't be described from the perspective a lesser view, no more than Quantum physics can be described from the perspective of Euclidean math.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2004-11-08 09:57 am (UTC)Of course Jack is not stupid.
But you know what is brilliant about this? The over-Daniel's-shoulder-POV (as I call it for the lack the term in my dictionary) is so perfectly Daniel.
He hated that...why did people tuck in the corners? People moved in their sleep, they didn't need to be shrink-wrapped. This was yet another thing indigenous societies had on so-called 'modern' man.
and
Daniel looked up at the ceiling and for one brilliant suspended moment, it all made sense. Jack made sense.
Heeee :)=
Does it come easily to you? Writing like this? How long does it take to master the art like that. Damn, you're good :)=
no subject
Date: 2004-11-09 05:12 am (UTC)heh, me too, but hey, you can't blame a girl for making the best of what's available.
Thanks for the nice story, it's an interesting scene and I loved your dialogues. Jack is just so Jack (if this makes any sense at all) first making brilliant observations and then playing the dumb with the coca-cola remark :-)
no subject
Date: 2004-11-10 01:15 pm (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2004-11-10 01:50 pm (UTC)