Title: Love & Death

Pairing: Daniel x Jack

Word Count: 1, 590

AN: This is my first time writing for these two so please be kind. There will likely be more in the future.

J. Daniel Atlas: control freak and master of illusions. Both traits often ended up getting him into trouble. The first time that he met the other three Horsemen Danny had looked handsome as always. His hair looked exactly the way he wanted it to and he had – as per usual – opted for jeans and a shirt with long sleeves. He was in total control of himself. Thank god. And he managed to stay in control the entire time regardless of Henley and Merritt mocking him and then that card. Somehow Daniel managed to not laugh out loud at the sight of his card: the lovers. Oh, the irony. His faith in the person that brought them together was somewhat questioned when he received his card. Death would have been much more logical but that ended up in the hands of Jack Wilder. That was highly illogical. Jack Wilder looked as if death was a foreign concept to him. It suited Daniel much better. God knows he'd found himself dangling scarily close to that edge a few times before. And if he ever forgot the scars on his forearms reminded him. None of the other Horsemen knew. Daniel liked it that way.

Henley would probably never let him out of her sight if she did. And Daniel would feel suffocated by her constant need to make sure that he was okay.

Merritt would make a joke out of it. Or not really a joke. But whatever he was going to do would fail. He would use his power or attempt to do so and Daniel would get angry and leave.

Then there was Jack. Daniel imagined him standing there completely shocked and speechless. But he could never guess what Jack would do when he regained composure. Assuming, he regained composure at all. Daniel could guess the reactions of everyone else but when it came to Jack his otherwise so quick moving brain came to a sudden halt. It was sad really. Because Jack was the only persons whose reaction intrigued Daniel. He didn't want to tell the young man about the scars but he wanted to see his reaction. There was a lot of things he didn't want to tell Jack but desperately wanted to see his reactions.

Jack was different. He was different in the way that he listened and he understood what Daniel was trying to say. When all everyone else heard were rude comments he heard the message underneath it. Everyone else gave him crap for being a control freak but Jack never did. He answered every question Daniel asked him before a show and never deviated from the written script during the performance.

Daniel didn't just like Jack like a friend. There was something more. Because whenever Jack asked him something Daniel told the truth even if he didn't want to. There was something in the way that Jack looked at him that raised his pulse – in a good way – and had him spilling all his secrets. Which was something not even educated psychologists had managed to despite years of therapy. Involuntary therapy naturally, because Daniel didn't believe in the power of talking.

Daniel glared at the card. He flicked it between his fingers not as quickly or as smoothly as Jack but it was impressive never the less. The first few times he looked at the card but after a while he closed his eyes. His eyesight more often than not fooled him. It interpreted things for him and filtered out things. It did him so many disfavors that he sometimes preferred closing them.

He heard the sound of the door being opened and closed but still didn't bother opening his eyes. It was either Henley, Merritt or Jack. No one else had the key.

Jack closed the door behind him. The card easily danced between Daniels smooth fingers. Ever since he had met Jack a few months earlier he had been practicing every moment he could. Henley and Merritt thought that he only did it to annoy Jack; the young man himself didn't know what to believe. Eventually Jack moved across the room and sat down on the opposite side of Daniel.

"Looking good, man." He eventually said and smiled.

Daniel knew that Jack was smiling before even opening his eyes. He even knew exactly what the smile looked like. It was a big smile that showed two lines of teeth but not big enough to make him look overly excited. One side of the mouth was raised a tiny bit higher than the other and the smile reached his eyes. It was the last part that made Jacks smile deadly. If the sight of his lips was not enough to get to you then his eyes surely would. They were filled with kindness at the same time as there was something challenging, something mischievous and – Daniel almost couldn't think it – sexual.

"Yeah well, putting down countless of hours on the same task will do that to you." Daniel stopped what he was doing. For a moment, he hesitated, pondering if he was going to put the card on the table or if he was going to keep it in his hand, but opted for holding onto it. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you."

Daniel hummed. Based on the expression on Jacks face – determination – he could guess where this was going and the idea of being confronted gave him the need for some distance. "Would you like to have something drink or eat?"

"No thank you, I'm fine." Jack answered and Daniel lowered himself into the couch.

Daniel leaned back, threw one arm on the side of the couch and gave Jack that typical tiny, knowing smile. The one that made it look as if he believed that he was better than everyone else. Daniel wanted it to look like that. Jack never told Henley and Merritt when they complained about it that you only needed to look a bit deeper to see how fake it was.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Daniel asked as he did his very best to ignore the feeling of his heart beating viciously against his ribs.

"You've been avoiding us." Jack said. Daniel scoffed and Jack knew that when he opened his mouth it was undoubtedly to tell him some lame excuse that only made sense in his own mind. And somehow, he would be able to talk his way out of the subject at hand. He was good at that. Jack stopped him. "No, correction, you have been avoiding me and I want to know why. We're about to do a major job together. You can hate me for all you want but we need to at least be able to be in the same room."

Daniel didn't move a muscle. "I don't hate you."

Jack blinked at him. Several times. "You don't?" Daniel shook his head. "Well in that case, why are you avoiding me?"

Daniel moved the card between his fingers. Because you make me feel things I have never felt before. Because whenever I see you I get the desire to do anything I can to help you, to make sure that nothing and no one can hurt you and I would basically do anything to keep that smile on your face. The words were right there on the tip of his tongue. He couldn't lie to Jack. He could lie to everyone else, consequences be damned, but not Jack.

Jacks frowned deepened. He had never seen Daniel hesitate the way he did in that moment. "You can talk to me Danny."

Daniel laughed. "Yeah," he spoke almost too quietly. "That's kind of the problem."

"Why would that be a problem?"

"Because I can't lie to you, okay?" Daniel snapped. "Every time you ask me a question I spontaneously want to tell you the truth and that has never happened to me before. I'm an amazing liar. I lie so often that I nowadays do it all the time regardless of what it's about or who's asking the questions. I even lie about what I had for lunch when Henley asked. But for some reason I can't do that with you."

Jack leaned forward. The gap between them was still major but that didn't stop Daniel from backing. "Why?"

"Because you look at me like that." Daniel said as the distress he was feeling slowly seeped out into his body and had him tapping his foot against the floor. He moved his hands towards his hair as if he was thinking about pulling his hands through it but decided against it.

"I'll stop."

"I don't want you to stop."

Jack laughed. "Then what the hell do you want?"

"I want you."

It took exactly five seconds for Jack to react. Then it took another two seconds for him to move the table out of the way, cup Daniels face and then desperately press their lips together. J. Daniel Atlas whose mind always had something cooking in the background were for once completely still and silent. There were no ideas, no thoughts or worries that taunted him.

Kissing Jack was very much like standing at the edge of death. At first your heart raced and there was a certain desperation in every movement made. Then there was just warmth and comfort. Maybe it wasn't so ironic that he had gotten the lovers. It seemed after all that there was only a slight difference between love and death.