A Walk in the Snow by Princess of Geeks (NC-17)

[paian]

Rec Category: Jack/Daniel
Pairing: Jack O'Neill/Daniel Jackson
Category: SG-1, slash, Daniel/Jack, Daniel Jackson, Jack O'Neill, romance, first time, holiday
Warning: Explicit m/m sex
Author on LJ: princessofg
Author's Website: LJ tags, also Area 52 page
Link: A Walk in the Snow


Why This Must Be Read: A warmly realistic, perfectly paced story of two isolated men finding each other in the cold, and a wonderfully happy way to start out the new year. If you're sick of Christmas fic, or don't read Christmas fic, don't be deterred: this is set over a Christmas holiday and does touch on it, but the category tag and the author's note notwithstanding, I don't think of this as a holiday fic so much as a gorgeous winter fic. Using setting as medium and metaphor, it moves from snowy, cold exteriors that are beautiful but also bleak and lonely to close, warm interiors -- of houses and of hearts. There's sledding! Really delightful sledding. And some of the best hugging I've ever read in J/D fanfic. :-) Romance and first time are particular fortes of Princess of G, and she's in her element here. About 8100 words.


Excerpt:

Daniel finally smiled, and Jack was glad to see it. “Yeah. Or sometimes I work. Or sometimes I goof off, like you saw.” He paused. “Christmas is just a quiet winter day to me. It’s nice to see everyone else being happy, though.”

Jack raised his free hand to pat Daniel on the shoulder, and without really comprehending how it happened, all of a sudden he’d stepped closer and Daniel had turned toward him and put his free arm around Jack’s shoulders, and the pat-squeeze turned into a hug. A half a hug, technically, because of the two coffee mugs, but a hug it definitely was. Daniel rested his forehead against Jack’s temple for a moment. He smelled of fresh cold air and coffee and warm wool.

“Thanks,” Daniel said, and his sweet breath puffed against the side of Jack’s face, and Jack’s mug was empty so he let it dangle from his finger and brought his other arm up and hugged Daniel again, a bigger, more engulfing hug, prompting a surprised little huff.

Then he waited for Daniel to let go. Selfishly, squeezing more than his fair share of physical contact out of the moment, but hey. He could get away with it, maybe, under the circumstances, so he just went ahead and let Daniel be in charge of the politeness and personal-space meters, but Daniel didn’t step away. Daniel let his mug slip precariously to the window ledge and brought his other arm up, too, and he just stayed there, resting in the hug.

Jack cleared his throat. “Thanks for what?”

“For understanding. Not making a big production out of it.”

Jack wanted to say something, but he was quickly getting very distracted by the decidedly nontraditional length and closeness of the embrace, and also by Daniel’s hands, which were moving gently against his back. He could feel each finger press against him through his cotton sweater. He exhaled and went with it, because it was what he wanted, what he always wanted, and just now there was no one to see, and he dropped his face against Daniel’s sweater-covered shoulder.

Daniel’s breathing seemed a little fast. And then, he pulled Jack closer still. Jack swallowed.

“Daniel,” Jack said, tasting wool. “Is this appropriate hugging or inappropriate hugging?”

He felt Daniel’s heartbeat spike. Their chests were together, but their hips were still politely apart. If you could call a tight hug, between unrelated males, that went on for over a minute, polite in any way shape or form.

“Mm,” Daniel said, “I’m not sure.”

“Because I can do inappropriate hugging with you, no problem. I just kind of want to know what I’m getting myself into.”