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Title: Ice Cream
Fandom: SG-1
Pairing: Daniel/Vala
Summary: It had been a long, boring mission. Set sometime after "Ark of Truth," but there are no spoilers. A small, shippy moment.
It was an exhausting mission--not dangerous, particularly, but slow and tedious, and Daniel thought that maybe they'd spent a few days weighing a bit more than they did on Earth. Sam hadn't been there to confirm, but everyone had looked just a little extra grim at the end of it.
Vala had fared the worst, though Daniel knew Cam hadn't noticed, hadn't changed their order in the infirmary, leaving Vala's exam last and her shower later.
Daniel was sitting on the bench outside the locker room when she finally came out, dressed but not put together, and eyes only losing a little bit of weight in her surprise when she saw him there.
He couldn't deny that he liked her best when she was just a little too tired to tease him, a little too tired to hide her first, honest reactions. It wasn't something he was proud of.
He stood, calculated a touch on her shoulder.
"Come on. Let's go eat."
His reward was a brief, honest smile, and then a brighter, falser one as she hooked her arm through his.
He took her off-base, to the kind of hole-in-the-wall place he liked, rickety tables holding up decent and underpriced food--the kind of place where you had a favorite dish and stuck to it. The lighting was low, though not in the swanky way of the other restaurant they'd gone to, and Vala liked it, he could tell. She kept looking at the other people there--families, couples, friends. An astonishing variety of people hitting the early dinner times before the people on dates would take over.
They didn't order any wine, just enjoyed their dinner without a lot of talking, Daniel's normal inclination to fill the silence curiously absent, and left without ordering dessert.
It was still early as they drove back toward the base. Vala had her feet up on the dashboard again, but Daniel was resolutely ignoring it.
"Ice cream," she said suddenly. "I want ice cream." She pointed to the store just a block away.
Her imperious tone rankled, and she must have seen, because wheedled out the next request. "Please can we get ice cream?"
Daniel rolled his eyes but turned into the parking lot. Vala grinned and dragged him into the store, trailing happiness like her scarf, stopping only when they were in front of the freezer, the pints lined up in ragged little rows.
Vala leaned forward and examined the descriptions on each one, going back several times to look at the flavor Daniel knew she'd pick--a rich chocolate one, of course. Finally, she reached in and brought it out.
"Aren't you going to pick one?"
Daniel shrugged. "I'll just eat some of yours."
Vala frowned and clutched at the pint. "Oh, no. You get your own."
Daniel sighed but grabbed a raspberry sherbet. Vala looked at it suspiciously. "That's not ice cream."
"Close enough," Daniel said. "And I like it."
Vala sighed.
When they left the store, it was just getting dark. It was a warm night, though, so Daniel followed Vala without protest to a grassy area with tables. They sat on top of one and used flimsy plastic spoons to dig out their treat.
Daniel looked up at the clear sky as raspberry melted in his mouth and Vala's side brushed against his, and thought that this wasn't half bad. There were a lot worse things than making someone happy with ice cream and time away from blank walls.
"You looked tired today," Vala noted, and Daniel started out of his reverie.
"So did you," he said before he thought about it.
She grimaced. "Beastly planet. Dull, gray, and nobody of interest. I would have given anything for a group of rogue Jaffa."
He stared at her. "You like the missions where we're running for our lives?"
Vala mumbled her agreement around another spoon of ice cream, swallowed. "Don't you?"
Daniel was appalled to think she was right, and then he realized that it was a necessary part of being able to do their jobs.
"Huh," he said, just as Vala sneaked her spoon into his carton and grabbed a bit of the raspberry.
Vala's eyes closed and she hummed in pleasure, swinging her feet between the bench and the table.
"I thought you said I should get my own," he said, eyeing her ice cream, which was just out of reach.
"Mmmhmm," she agreed, keeping the ice cream far away from him while taking another spoonful, her eyes still closed. "Mine's better." Her head was tilted back, leaving her throat exposed, her hair in those ridiculous pigtails that somehow didn't look so ridiculous to him anymore.
He didn't mean to do it, didn't remember thinking he should lean over, kiss her. But he did, and she didn't exactly seem too surprised, kissing him back after just a quick inhale. She tasted sweet, and Daniel didn't think too much until the carton of sherbet slipped and dropped to the table, rolling over the edge and hitting the ground.
At whch point she laughed, low but not soft, and pulled away.
There were worse things than that, too, Daniel thought, only a little disappointed. But--okay, she was still smiling, so he smiled, too, and go down off the table and held out his hand for her to climb down. She did, still holding her ice cream.
"You going to finish that?" he asked once she was on the ground.
"It would be a shame to let it go to waste." She ate a few more bites as they walked back to the car. Before they climbed in, she said, "Daniel? Can we do this again sometime?"
"Which part?" Daniel asked casually. Too casually, damn it.
Vala just smiled and got in the car.
Fandom: SG-1
Pairing: Daniel/Vala
Summary: It had been a long, boring mission. Set sometime after "Ark of Truth," but there are no spoilers. A small, shippy moment.
It was an exhausting mission--not dangerous, particularly, but slow and tedious, and Daniel thought that maybe they'd spent a few days weighing a bit more than they did on Earth. Sam hadn't been there to confirm, but everyone had looked just a little extra grim at the end of it.
Vala had fared the worst, though Daniel knew Cam hadn't noticed, hadn't changed their order in the infirmary, leaving Vala's exam last and her shower later.
Daniel was sitting on the bench outside the locker room when she finally came out, dressed but not put together, and eyes only losing a little bit of weight in her surprise when she saw him there.
He couldn't deny that he liked her best when she was just a little too tired to tease him, a little too tired to hide her first, honest reactions. It wasn't something he was proud of.
He stood, calculated a touch on her shoulder.
"Come on. Let's go eat."
His reward was a brief, honest smile, and then a brighter, falser one as she hooked her arm through his.
He took her off-base, to the kind of hole-in-the-wall place he liked, rickety tables holding up decent and underpriced food--the kind of place where you had a favorite dish and stuck to it. The lighting was low, though not in the swanky way of the other restaurant they'd gone to, and Vala liked it, he could tell. She kept looking at the other people there--families, couples, friends. An astonishing variety of people hitting the early dinner times before the people on dates would take over.
They didn't order any wine, just enjoyed their dinner without a lot of talking, Daniel's normal inclination to fill the silence curiously absent, and left without ordering dessert.
It was still early as they drove back toward the base. Vala had her feet up on the dashboard again, but Daniel was resolutely ignoring it.
"Ice cream," she said suddenly. "I want ice cream." She pointed to the store just a block away.
Her imperious tone rankled, and she must have seen, because wheedled out the next request. "Please can we get ice cream?"
Daniel rolled his eyes but turned into the parking lot. Vala grinned and dragged him into the store, trailing happiness like her scarf, stopping only when they were in front of the freezer, the pints lined up in ragged little rows.
Vala leaned forward and examined the descriptions on each one, going back several times to look at the flavor Daniel knew she'd pick--a rich chocolate one, of course. Finally, she reached in and brought it out.
"Aren't you going to pick one?"
Daniel shrugged. "I'll just eat some of yours."
Vala frowned and clutched at the pint. "Oh, no. You get your own."
Daniel sighed but grabbed a raspberry sherbet. Vala looked at it suspiciously. "That's not ice cream."
"Close enough," Daniel said. "And I like it."
Vala sighed.
When they left the store, it was just getting dark. It was a warm night, though, so Daniel followed Vala without protest to a grassy area with tables. They sat on top of one and used flimsy plastic spoons to dig out their treat.
Daniel looked up at the clear sky as raspberry melted in his mouth and Vala's side brushed against his, and thought that this wasn't half bad. There were a lot worse things than making someone happy with ice cream and time away from blank walls.
"You looked tired today," Vala noted, and Daniel started out of his reverie.
"So did you," he said before he thought about it.
She grimaced. "Beastly planet. Dull, gray, and nobody of interest. I would have given anything for a group of rogue Jaffa."
He stared at her. "You like the missions where we're running for our lives?"
Vala mumbled her agreement around another spoon of ice cream, swallowed. "Don't you?"
Daniel was appalled to think she was right, and then he realized that it was a necessary part of being able to do their jobs.
"Huh," he said, just as Vala sneaked her spoon into his carton and grabbed a bit of the raspberry.
Vala's eyes closed and she hummed in pleasure, swinging her feet between the bench and the table.
"I thought you said I should get my own," he said, eyeing her ice cream, which was just out of reach.
"Mmmhmm," she agreed, keeping the ice cream far away from him while taking another spoonful, her eyes still closed. "Mine's better." Her head was tilted back, leaving her throat exposed, her hair in those ridiculous pigtails that somehow didn't look so ridiculous to him anymore.
He didn't mean to do it, didn't remember thinking he should lean over, kiss her. But he did, and she didn't exactly seem too surprised, kissing him back after just a quick inhale. She tasted sweet, and Daniel didn't think too much until the carton of sherbet slipped and dropped to the table, rolling over the edge and hitting the ground.
At whch point she laughed, low but not soft, and pulled away.
There were worse things than that, too, Daniel thought, only a little disappointed. But--okay, she was still smiling, so he smiled, too, and go down off the table and held out his hand for her to climb down. She did, still holding her ice cream.
"You going to finish that?" he asked once she was on the ground.
"It would be a shame to let it go to waste." She ate a few more bites as they walked back to the car. Before they climbed in, she said, "Daniel? Can we do this again sometime?"
"Which part?" Daniel asked casually. Too casually, damn it.
Vala just smiled and got in the car.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-05-03 10:22 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2008-05-03 10:55 pm (UTC)From:Glad you enjoyed it!
no subject
Date: 2008-05-03 10:42 pm (UTC)From:And Daniel observes a lot, but he definitely misses some things now and then. I like how you capture that in several places in the story.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-03 10:57 pm (UTC)From:Daniel is very observant, but sometimes it seems like he doesn't *realize* what he's observing. Or use it to any effect, anyway.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-04 12:26 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2008-05-04 03:11 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2008-05-04 12:39 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2008-05-04 03:12 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2008-05-04 01:47 am (UTC)From:He couldn't deny that he liked her best when she was just a little too tired to tease him, a little too tired to hide her first, honest reactions. It wasn't something he was proud of.
Because it says so much about both of them. And I really like the gradual progression - even in the little things - from Daniel cost-counting his actions to the end when he's just no longer the one in control. First, it's totally believable, working off the tension from the mission, and second, well, it makes me really happy that Vala has that effect on him. =)
no subject
Date: 2008-05-04 03:15 pm (UTC)From:Because the snark is nice, but not exactly conducive to trust. (I don't get this vibe with other on-screen ships that snark at each other, but maybe that's because they didn't generally meet while one was trying to steal the others' spaceship. Or something.)
Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2008-05-04 02:06 am (UTC)From:Lovely stuff. Understated and so them with the edge to their relationship that they'll never lose, but the odd comfort that's developed between them.
He couldn't deny that he liked her best when she was just a little too tired to tease him, a little too tired to hide her first, honest reactions. It wasn't something he was proud of.
That's absolutely my favorite line of the whole thing because it feels so right with the way I see the characters, and the relationship. Great work. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-05-04 03:17 pm (UTC)From:Lovely stuff. Understated and so them with the edge to their relationship that they'll never lose, but the odd comfort that's developed between them.
I love that edge of comfort that has developed between them, and the reluctance they still feel about taking advantage of it--each with their own wildly different reasons for being reluctant.
So much fun, and I'm glad you liked it!
no subject
Date: 2009-12-07 08:03 pm (UTC)From:That sentence is in my Top 10 favorite lines in Daniel/Vala fic.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-10 02:34 am (UTC)From: