[for Daniel]

[more_flexible]

--Friday, July 4th||Serena and Blair's beach party--

It was a party. Jack loved parties and he'd been asked to help by the prettiest underage-off-limits-don't-even-say-hello girl named Serena. Okay, so maybe he'd flirted a little. It didn't really matter in the end, since he'd spent the day with Owen and gotten him here, gotten him a drink, and then another, then told him he'd be right back. It wasn't a party if he didn't talk to a few people. Jack had kept up with Owen fairly well in the shots department and was feeling loose and warm and good. Let Owen get trashed, he was just nicely tipsy. Jack had left the tux behind in favor of a pair of shorts and a wifebeater, which seemed to be the uniform of most of the people here. Jack looked around, smiled and flirted and said hello to more than one person before he looked over...

And there was Daniel.

Jack dropped everything and headed straight for him.

Comments

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

Daniel had already had a few drinks. He probably shouldn't have even started, but he was past the point of caring. In fact, when he saw Jack heading over, he grabbed another shot glass and poured two, offering one to Jack.

"Cheers."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Not even a hello? I love a man who gets down to business," he said warmly, taking the shot and downing it, only afterwards thinking to raise the glass. "Cheers. Having fun?"

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

"When was the last time I drank for the fun of it?" he pointed out. It had happened, but not in the last few months. Or even a few of the months before those. He poured another, offering the bottle to Jack.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Uh...huh," he replied as he took the bottle. "You realize troubles don't actually drown in alcohol, right?" he said. "You want to talk, or just drink?"

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

"Maybe in another drink or two. It's been a while since we did shots." He gave Jack a curious look. "Unless you have somewhere to be?" The 'someone to be with' was implied.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack shrugged and looked back through the crowd. Target sighted, still where he'd left him. "Nope. Not for a while. My date seems to have things under control."

That wasn't even the biggest lie he'd told today. He returned his gaze to Daniel and lifted the bottle. "Gimme your glass."

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure that Owen's planning on getting about as drunk as I am." He handed the glass over and shot a look that told Jack that he wasn't always completely unobservant and that he'd seen the time together and the looks. "So if it's under control, it's not for long, but I doubt he can get into too much here as long as he stays away from me."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

He arched a brow as he filled the glass to the rim, then lifted the bottle to his lips. "Owen's going to be fine," he said, his voice echoing into the bottle. "And since he hasn't really moved, then it'd be more like if you stay away from him," he pointed out, finally swallowing a mouthful.

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

"I'm allowed to be worried, Jack," Daniel said, taking a breath and swallowing the shot. He barely even winced at the taste. "I'm the one that got him into this mess. I'm the reason he's not getting married. Why he can't see his son every day."

He glanced over.

"And I can't even see him on the off chance that Tosh will let him try to patch things up."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack sighed and nodded, then shrugged. "He's with me now, Daniel. Trust me, I'll take care of him. And once he and Tosh work out their...whatever...the rest of us will know what to do."

Jack didn't honestly think Tosh was going to take him back. Not now, not ever. He didn't mean to be pessimistic, that was just what he'd seen and what he'd heard in the silence between words.

"But come on!" he continued, lighter and happier than he'd been for a while. It wasn't the time or place for wallowing--not in his opinion. "It's a party, there's good food and music and booze. Have a little fun, Daniel. Be a little selfish...it won't kill you."

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

Daniel gave Jack a very long look and held his glass out again. "Being selfish is what everyone accuses me of and it's what usually gets me into trouble, but pour me another drink and I might make you dance with me."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"That's what gets me in trouble, too. Watch me not give a shit," he grinned, refilling the glass. "Make me dance, huh? That's a hardship, it really is. I might complain. Or something."

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

"Or something," Daniel said, throwing his head back and swallowing the shot. There was no wince this time. He shot a quick grin at Jack, eyes sparkling with something barely restrained, and offered him a hand. "Dance with me, Jack."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

It was a polished maneuver, shifting his grip on the neck of the bottle and spreading his arms in response. "I'm all yours," he purred, taking the offered hand and stepping closer. "Here? Closer to the music?" He leaned in and pressed his cheek to Daniel's. "...Somewhere a little less crowded?"

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

"Yes, you are." A simple statement with not-so-simple a history behind it. But it meant that Daniel trusted Jack. Trusted him like Owen had. He lifted his hand to Jack's neck, stroking his thumb along the skin there. "I just said we were going. I leave it up to you where we go."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Oh, yeah?" he asked, grinning a little wider. He held the bottle a little tighter and slid his arm around Daniel's waist, then put his lips right next to his ear. "You're hell bent on getting yourself into trouble, aren't you?"

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

"I believe," Daniel said, lowering his voice to a whisper, "that right now, all I have planned is a dance. Can you really get into trouble over a dance? And besides. Mohinder understands." There was a certain bitterness to that word. The argument was over and done and Daniel had won. He wouldn't sleep with Jack and Mohinder wouldn't sleep with Dani or Alcuin. He should have been happy.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Oh, Daniel...I can get in trouble with just a 'hello'," he purred in reply. "I think, since you just want to dance, we can stay here. The music's loud enough and I'm not sure you're sober enough to stay up if I'm not holding you."

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't know. I've never been hello'ed by you, Jack. I almost feel left out." His lips curled into a soft grin. "I said planned." He eyed the bottle. "Which means don't lose track of that.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"I'm pretty sure I've told you hello more than once," he whispered as he ghosted his lips across his cheek. "But if you need to get drunk and hear it again, I could do that. So...you gonna hate me in the morning if I let you keep drinking and change those grand plans of yours?" he asked softly against Daniel's neck.

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

"I don't know how much longer I can do this," Daniel whispered, leaning against Jack and shifting his head back just a little. It wasn't an answer that most people would have understood, but he was pretty sure Jack would. He wanted to make things work, but he was unhappy. He just didn't know why.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"You'll do it until you can't, Daniel. You're not alone, you know that much," Jack answered, the slightest shift in his intention changing the hold from seductive to pure strength. He'd leaned on Daniel when he hadn't wanted to, but needed to.

"And when you can't? It ends and you keep going, because if there's one truth in the universe, it's this." He pulled back so he could look Daniel in the eyes and said evenly, "There isn't a promise made that can't be broken. You just need to decide if it's worth it."

Fuck the rest of the world, fuck understanding and agreements, fuck it all. Jack held Daniel, held him up and held him close, and he smiled.

"Whatever you need, you let me know. You're...Mine."

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

"And you're Mine. Which is why you're safe." He pulled back and looked at Jack. "Because if we fight and one of us leaves, we'll always come back. Because we could be fighting one minute and, if either of us really needed the other, we'd be there." He shook his head. "I never should have worried. Doubted. I already knew way back when."

Ianto had been furious when Daniel had called Jack and not him safe, but it turned out that Daniel had been right. Jack had come back. Ianto hadn't.

He leaned in and kissed Jack softly, whispering, "I just need you," before kissing him again.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"You've got me." Simple as that. Right now, this moment, Daniel had him and the rest of the world simply fell away for Jack. Every fiber of his being, every ounce of his attention, everything was focused on Daniel right then.

Sure, in the larger scheme of things, he had him. Friends and Team and Mine and all the other labels that struggled to cement whatever this was flew around wildly. None of them really worked. Maybe because Jack refused to really stick with any label for long...although he knew what it meant when he referred to someone as Mine. He knew, and that was really all that mattered in the end.

Jack kissed him back slowly, lingering and lost in the act. Daniel tasted like alcohol. Like need. Like...Daniel.

[theunascended.livejournal.com]

He had no plans, really. No plans beyond the moment. Beyond Jack's lips on his and the rush of awareness that wouldn't have happened three months ago. Then he would have gotten the center he needed and stepped back, perfectly content to leave it at the kiss.

Now he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Jack's neck and burying a hand in his hair.

He wasn't sure what he was thinking, but he knew there'd never be a regret with Jack.