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The Kiss
| Pairing: |
Jack/Daniel. |
| Rating |
PG |
| Past Life:
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19th Century France |
| Notes: |
Notes: Pictures of this statue can be found here:
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| Warnings: |
AU. Established Relationship.
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Summer, 1885, Paris
It was the perfect expression of love. Two men were
seated on the fountain wall, although it would be more accurate to say that
one of the men was almost draped across the lap of the other. The seated one
was older, his hair starting to grey, but he wasn’t old. The other man was
younger, with shoulder-length brown hair and a slim body. His right leg
rested over his lover’s left leg, implying a casual intimacy. The younger
man had one arm reaching up behind the other man’s head, holding him close
for the kiss, while the latter had his hand resting casually on his lover’s
hip. They seemed to be oblivious to the world around them and to the danger
they were in if anyone – present company excepted – saw them. They were
sharing a kiss that even from this distance could be seen as tender. There
was no rush, no urgency in the kiss, but a deep love was present, he could
tell that just by the body language. This was no casual affair, and that was
exactly what he had been searching for.
Rodin turned away; he knew what he wanted to sculpt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two years later, still in Paris…
Jack sighed. This wasn’t his idea of a fun way to spend
an afternoon but his lover of over two years actually liked art museums and
so Jack was indulging him. As he watched the younger man, he found himself
wondering why Daniel was still with him. Daniel was gorgeous, his brown hair
having become lighter due to all the outdoor activities they were both
participating in, and blue eyes that Jack could happily drown in. And of
course, there was that perfect slim body that Jack was fortunate enough to
share every night – and sometimes during the day as well. Add to that, an
intellect that outshone everyone else's, a gift for languages, and the most
loving nature that Jack had ever come across, and it added up to an
incredible package. Next to Daniel, Jack felt so old. Prematurely grey and
battle-scarred from his military service over a decade ago, he couldn’t
understand what Daniel saw in him but he counted his blessings every day.
A few paces in front, Daniel heard his partner sigh and
knew Jack was finding all this boring. He loved Jack for indulging him in
trips to museums and libraries even though the older man found them dull; he
couldn’t have found a better partner. Jack had been Daniel’s first and only
male lover after a string of unsuccessful relationships with women. When
Daniel had come to Paris two years ago, the last thing he had expected was
to meet a fellow American and to fall in love with him. But fall he had –
both of them had – and he didn’t regret that for one minute. They bickered a
lot but rarely argued, they had different opinions on almost everything, but
yet Daniel believed they were two halves of one soul. And it had become a
romantic tradition in the summer months to find somewhere public but
deserted at midnight and just spend an hour or two kissing. It was now
Daniel’s turn to sigh; life was so good.
He stopped in front of a small marble sculpture of two
lovers entwined. The artist had somehow captured the love shared between the
man and woman, a slow and tender passion. Daniel smiled; he knew what it was
like to share a love like that. "Jack, take a look at this."
Jack looked at the statue that had his lover smiling
that smile. He had to admit, he didn’t understand what had Daniel
enthralled but he did acknowledge that the sculptor was very good. "It’s
nice."
Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Nice?" That hadn’t been the
response he had been expecting. Okay, maybe he had expected that knowing
that Jack wasn’t impressed by most art. "Can’t you see how much they love
each other?"
Taking his time, Jack looked the sculpture over
carefully. Now that he was looking properly, and attempting to look through
his younger lover’s eyes, he could see what Daniel was talking about. "Yeah,
I can," he said, amazed that he could. "Kind of like us," he added for
Daniel’s ears only.
"Definitely," Daniel agreed, his voice equally low. How
many times had Jack held him similar to that, loving him? Too many to count
and yet he would never tire of it.
The sound of someone clearing their throat made the
couple turn around. A young man held out a slip of paper to them. "From the
gentleman over there," the man said, tilting his head to his left.
Daniel took the folded piece of paper and opened it. The
note read: ‘Thank you for the inspiration.’ Smiling, he gave it to Jack.
"Now I know why they look like they’re in love," he stated.
Jack read the message and then his eyes sought out the
man who had sent it. He received a brief nod from the sculptor, and Jack
gave one in return before the man walked away, mingling with the crowd. "He
must have seen us one night," Jack surmised, turning his attention back to
his lover.
"I know." Daniel knew that should have been creepy but it
wasn’t, not when this was the result. Their love immortalised in marble –
although he didn’t exactly like the fact that his representation was female.
But given the way homosexual love was viewed, it wasn’t surprising that
Rodin had chosen to portray their kiss this way. He looked at the statue
with fresh eyes, knowing the inspiration behind it. "So what do you think of
it now?" he asked his soulmate.
"I love it." Jack reached out and briefly squeezed
Daniel’s hand, the only display of affection they could show in public
without drawing attention to themselves. "And you. Forever."
"Forever," Daniel echoed. Their love - their kiss - would
live forever, displayed in the beautiful statue, even if no-one else knew
who they were. "Let’s go home," he continued in a low, husky voice, giving
his lover an idea of what awaited when they got there.
Jack thought that was a wonderful idea. As he hustled
Daniel out of the museum, he had one last look at ‘The Kiss’ and felt sorry
for those who didn’t have what he did. Then he turned back to Daniel and
took him home for an afternoon - followed by a lifetime - of loving.
contact Sistine:
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