Glaring at his reflection in the mirror, Daniel painstakingly unravelled bits if bramble-like twig from his hair. He’d already tried combing them out, only succeeding in pulling out half his hair in the process, but he couldn’t shower until he got rid of every last thorny bit. It was taking forever.

The worst part was that it was his own fault. Jack had warned him to watch where he was stepping, the ground had been slick and muddy following a shower, but Daniel had been more interested in the ruins he could see in the valley below them than in what was beneath his own feet.

Slipping and falling because of his own carelessness had been embarrassing enough, but skidding downslope on his butt, flying off the edge of the path and plunging headfirst into a clump of the thorny native vegetation had been downright humiliating, especially since it had meant Jack and Teal’c had to pull him out. At least his glasses had protected his eyes, but his face had gotten scratched to glory.

“Need a hand there?”

Daniel closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, not wanting to endure more teasing. “I can manage.”

“You sure? There’re some twigs back here might give you some trouble since you don’t have eyes in the back of your head.”

Fumbling though his hair, Daniel yelped as he impaled a finger on a particularly sharp thorn, and Jack sighed. “You know, if you’d asked I would’a given you flying lessons.”

Shoulders sagging, Daniel resigned himself to more teasing. “Really.” His tone was flat.

“Yeah, maybe not.” Fingers tugged at the back of Daniel’s hair, and a couple more pieces of twig were tossed into the bin. “Looks like you’re wearing those big curlers. You know, like the battleaxe housewives in the funnies.”

“I suspect those would be less painful.”

“Less thorny at least. Might have to cut some of these out.” Jack resumed tugging again.

“What?”

“The twigs, not your hair; smaller pieces should come out easier.” Jack kept working for a few minutes. “Although shaving your hair off might be quicker.”

Daniel stared into the mirror, meeting Jack’s eyes, smiling faintly. “Not sure I could get away with the bald look.”

“Perhaps not.”

“Still, maybe it’s time for a haircut. Travelling off-world, my hair’s becoming a bit of a liability.”

“I know a great barber if you need one.”

“Thanks.”


The End