Fic: Cairo, PG, Jack/Daniel

[icarus]

So instead of doing homework I played Percy (interimminister) on hp_dungeons last night.

Now for some Stargate stuff:

~*~*~

Jack rapped on Daniel's screen door, a tinny, aluminum sound, but he obviously couldn't be heard over the rise and fall of chanting. The voice called "Al-akba!"-something-something, a flowing musical sound. He finally just let himself in, dumped the fruit basket on Daniel's counter and turned the corner to find Daniel kneeling on the livingroom floor, eyes closed, lips moving voicelessly to the recording.

"What the hell's that?" He was used to weird sounds coming out of Daniel, but usually his taste in music was normal. If a little new-age-y and bland.

Daniel startled. "Oh. I'm studying the Koran." He reached up and turned the stereo down. "It really is meant to be heard rather than read."

"Islam?" Jack frowned. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't those guys just attack us?"

"No..." Daniel turned to him, lips parted in surprise. "A bunch of crazies did."

"Yeah." Jack nodded slowly. "Like I said - didn't those guys just attack us?"

"There are four billion Muslims, Jack. I think we'd notice if they all attacked."

"I noticed all those people dead in New York."

"Here. Listen to this." Daniel sighed and turned up the jibber-jabber. Jack listened for several moments with a puzzled expression on his face. "It says, loosely translated of course, that one can defend oneself but that 'Allah loves not the aggressor.'"

"Hunh." It could very well say 'bananas ten dollars a bunch,' but Jack took his word for it.

"I have a hard time reconciling what is said in the Koran with what people, some people, do. But it's always like that with religious philosophies."

"It brings out the crazy in all of us?" Jack quipped, recalling Daniel practically talking to himself a minute before.

"No. They make handy excuses when you're pissed off." He turned up the chanting. He started making quiet, small gestures, hands at his chest, hands up...

This was too weird. "What are doing?"

"Huh?" Daniel stopped the gestures. "Oh. I didn't realize I was doing that." He smiled, eyes vague and distant. "When I was five or six my parents were in Cairo, stocking up between digs. We'd been there a lot, and five times a day there'd be this... sound... this singing voice throughout the city, from the rooftops, everywhere. And almost everyone would stop and leave. It was like a magic spell was cast. Well I was a pretty curious little kid."

"No. You?"

Daniel chuckled a little. "It had been nagging at me for a while, I remember. So I just sort of... followed them. I guess I was a little late and small enough that nobody noticed me as I stepped into these beautiful arched buildings, following that sound. People were bowing and it was all so peaceful.

"I suppose people must have noticed me then, but they stuck to their prayers. They were doing the same things, so I started imitating the men," Daniel said, slightly starry-eyed, repeating a few of the gestures. "Later, the Sufis were very amused. They bought me some juice while we waited for my parents to find me."

"You were in Cairo and your parents lost track of you?"

"I was pretty good at giving my babysitters the slip. But yeah, they were frantic. I was in a lot of trouble." Daniel smiled guilitily. "But after the Sufis told them what had happened, they thought it was adorable. They asked me to show them what I learned and the Sufis walked me through it again. They took a lot of pictures." He stood and pulled an old bound volume off a shelf. "I have some of them here, I think."

"Baby pictures?" Jack perked up, reaching for it. Blackmail time. "You've been holding out on me."

Daniel handed him the photo album and Jack started paging through. Daniel had definitely been an only child: there were tons of pictures of very blond, grubby little kid. No naked pictures to tease Daniel with, disappointingly.

"Anyhow, I can't seem to reconcile that memory with all the crazy stuff." Daniel looked wistful. "Sometimes when I miss my family I play some recordings from Cairo, or listen to the recitation."

Daniel turned up the floaty chanting while Jack paged through the photo album.

Camels and people in turbans, a picture of a huge crew at what looked like a flattened construction site where Daniel stood out like a white dot - he turned the page - and smiling very intellectual-looking parents. They both wore glasses, Jack noted, deciding Daniel looked more like his mother. Then there was his grandfather Nick, looking a lot younger, in front of a museum display.

And more museums, museums, museums... they all started to blur together.

Jack pointed to a later picture, one that was more recognizably Daniel, albeit with white-blond hair and ultra-tanned skin. But the glasses had finally appeared. "Where was this?"

"Oh, I dunno. The museums started to all seem the same. Just different layouts everyone would argue over," Daniel said absently. Jack returned to the earlier Cairo pictures which were at least a place, and studied them. Daniel's lips moved with the chants, but he didn't say anything, seeming a million miles away.

"I'd like to go there with you sometime," Jack mused.

"To a mosque?" Daniel blinked, startled from his reverie.

"No. To there - Cairo." Jack gestured to the photos.

"Yeah, I guess it is the closest thing I have to a 'hometown.'" Daniel was thoughtful. "It probably looks really different now. I haven't been back there in over fifteen years."

"Then it's about time you went."

"All right... yeah. Let's do it." His face returned to the present, eyes sparkling and lively. "But you can't go to Cairo without at least visiting a mosque." Daniel smirked at Jack.

Jack's eyes narrowed at him, thinking this over. "Okay. Deal." He jabbed a finger at Daniel. "But start wearing a turban and I'll leave you there."




(Ooops. Late for tutoring.)

ETA: Finished it after I returned from work.

Comments

[tafkarfanfic.livejournal.com]

God, I *love* every single story you write where Daniel reminisces about his childhood. It just seems so RIGHT.

And also, Jack's "Didn't they just attack us?" Oh, that worked for me in a BIG way.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I had to leave it mid-thought since I was late for work, but it's more or less complete now.

Icarus

[jaig.livejournal.com]

Oh love. Don't let a computer (or lack of a working one) fuck with your relationship. :/

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, you know how it is. They say that the #1 thing couples fight about is money. A computer issue is an unexpected expense, so... once you pull out the money issue, it seems to have responsibility issues attached.

Then once you drag out the responsibility issues, then the ever-impossible balance of responsibilities issue comes out with it.

Then once you have the balance of responsibilities issue rolling around, words like "unfair" and "well last year you --" start coming up.

Then once you start in with all the inequities of the relationship, the bedrock of the relationship, how committed you are, is put under the microscope. And at that point not only is all of it questioned, you're also really, really pissed.

You're better off facing a natural disaster together than a financial crisis.

Icarus

[jaig.livejournal.com]

Now that you've put it that way, yes, I know how that feels. :/

I'll be off to wish for a snowstorm for you. Or would you like a twister?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Actually, a windfall would be just about right. One that covers the cost of computer repair....

Icarus

[jaig.livejournal.com]

Too unpredictable, those. I'm real sorry, love.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I just read your LJ. *sympathetic look* We both seem to be having sucky relationship days. Could it be Mercury retrograde?

Icarus

[jaig.livejournal.com]

I suggest blowing up Mercury with him in it.

We're good with bad days, eh?

[tafkarfanfic.livejournal.com]

My other half and I had the same fight on Friday night. Does it help to know it's not just you?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yep, it does. I prefer to think of these fights as "signs of a healthy, growing relationship."

*nods vigorously* Yes, that's what it is.

Icarus

[dustandroses.livejournal.com]

As someone stated above, I love your reminiscences of Daniel's childhood. This is great. The story of his getting lost in Cairo, and how he plays the recitation when he misses his family. And Jack so eager to see the photo album. I really enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing.


Still up in the air with the computer, huh? Good luck. Hope you get things straightened out with WG soon - financial fights are the worst.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I seem to gravitate towards Daniel's less-than-stellar yet not really tragic childhood. I think it's because I've seen too many over-the-top abuse fics.

Yeah, the computer's still down for the count. And wildernessguru forgot to give the computer man the login and password, so I'm not sure what he can do (sigh).

The big fight with WG is over, if still resonating, which means we're being very sweet to each other. I think I'll pick him up some ice cream, now that I think of it. :)

Icarus

[sffan.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing.

I loved this: "There are four billion Muslims, Jack. I think we'd notice if they all attacked." It's just too perfect.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I've been talking to some Muslims lately, both Muslim students I tutor (from Somalia) and a Sufi who came to speak for my Philosophy 267 class. My boyfriend (who's very much of Jack's mold) and I had an argument (one of our many intellectual debates, he's Jack, I'm Daniel) that resonated out to this story.

Icarus

[celestialseason.livejournal.com]

Lovely ficlit.

"Sometimes when I miss my family I play some recordings from Cairo, or listen to the recitation."

That seems a very 'Daniel' thing to do.

And I like how Jack wants to visit Cairo with Daniel.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm glad Daniel playing those recordings seems 'right.' I agree. Some people apply avoidance, others wallow, but Daniel's more the one to be wistful.

Jack wants to know everything about Daniel, which says a lot about their relationship. Visiting each other's family and hometown's what you do when you're serious, but Daniel really had neither that Jack could see. Until now.

Icarus

[lizardspots.livejournal.com]

*loves on you* Wonderful ficlet. For both the Islamic references and the cute kid!Daniel reminiscing.

"Islam?" Jack frowned. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't those guys just attack us?"

"No..." Daniel turned to him, lips parted in surprise. "A bunch of crazies did."

*nods* thank you. Sucks about the fight with WG. :\ Hope it's been blown to smithereens and all is calm in the world of Icarus+SO.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I thought you might like this. :)

As you know, the subject's been on my mind. On everyone's minds it seems actually. This is a pretty progressive school and there are signs up everywhere "learn about Islam" and "learn Arabic."

Sucks about the fight with WG. :\ Hope it's been blown to smithereens and all is calm in the world of Icarus+SO.

It turned out to be very good for us overall. I'm dealing with something where I was in the wrong, and he's dealing with something he's been putting off. (No, not that leak. It's still dripping away. *snickers*)

Icarus

[duffy-99.livejournal.com]

::sighs deeply:: This was just a lovely piece.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. You know, it's always best to write stories when they're fresh and pulling at you, desperate to be written.

Icarus