The Games People Play Chapter 2--What To Do When Pulling Pigtails Backfires
Title: What To Do When Pulling Pigtails Backfires
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU She tasted of candy-apple lip gloss now, but her lips were as warm and full as he remembered...
Rating: PG
Length: Around 1000 words
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings/Charaters: Daniel/Vala; Implied Vala/Sam friendship
A/N: The story is cannon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves, goes AU by the end.
What To Do When Pulling Pigtails Backfires
Daniel really didn't expect her to open the door. She had every reason not to. If she did open it, he wouldn't be surprised if she only stood there long enough to punch him in the face. Pacing in front of Vala's door, he admitted he wouldn't blame her. As the door moved back, he drew in a breath, bracing himself for the familiar crunch of her knuckles against his nose. She stood there, though, eyes wide with surprise, and only moved awkwardly aside, gesturing for him to come in.
He swallowed reflexively, feeling suddenly cold. All the determination he'd worked up on the trek from his office to her quarters suddenly deserted him, and he stood bewildered, unsure of anything but the racing of his pulse. Vala's forehead creased into a frown, and she uncomfortably cleared her throat.
"Did you want to come in?" she asked.
He half nodded, barreling into the room before he could talk himself out of it. Coming to a halt with his hands against the back of the secondhand loveseat that Sam had given her, he dug his fingers into the soft fabric and struggled in vain to even form a sentence. He could feel her eyes on his back, heard the door slide softly shut, and then heard her footsteps approach.
Whirling around, Daniel took a step toward her, and Vala froze. Their eyes met for a long moment, but finally he forced his gaze away. Drawing a quick breath, he said finally, "Vala, I--I wanna apologize. For how I treated you--on the ship. And--and before that, the things I said to you in the briefing room--about your past. I--don't know where that was coming from."
"There's no need, Daniel," she said, and his head jerked back up in time to see her give a stiff shrug.
"Yes, there is," he said hurriedly, determined to finish what he'd come here to say. "You're a member of the team. And that means we back each other up, not--not pick fights and tear each other down."
"Oh," she said, forcing her tone to remain casual, though he clearly read the disappointment she was trying not to show.
"And--" he began, but felt his breath catch and the sudden damp chill of perspiration on his palms and the back of his neck. He clenched his fists without thinking, then quickly released them and took another breath.
Her brow furrowed again, this time with a mix of concern and trepidation. Daniel took another step and saw her tense. He wondered for half a second if she was going to back away, but instead she took a cautious step in his direction.
"And?" she prompted, arching an eyebrow.
"Vala, I'm in love you," he said, forcing the words out before his brain could get in the way again. "I've--I've been in love with you--I don't know how long---but then you were gone--and then you came back, and you were married to Tomin and I--"
"Daniel, I know," she cut him off.
"What do you mean, you know?!" he cried. "How do you know?!"
"A girl knows when someone's in love with her," she shrugged. "And, honestly, you don't hide your feelings very well."
"Wha--you--you mean you've known all this time, and--and you let me just keep--" he broke off, slapping his arms against his sides in frustration.
"Well, Daniel, what was I supposed to do?" she shot back.
He opened his mouth to reply, but shook his head and shut it again. "Kiss me," he heard himself say finally, then gulped at the realization that the words had actually come out of his mouth.
"Daniel, if I had kissed you, you would have been furious," Vala said sharply.
"Huh? No!" he exclaimed. "I mean--kiss me now."
Vala's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she stared for a moment. "Oh," she said slowly, stepping forward to close the remaining distance between them. Her hands slid over his taut shoulders, and he lowered his head to meet her lips.
She tasted of candy-apple lip gloss now, but her lips were as warm and full as he remembered. One arm wound around her, pulling her tighter against his chest, while the other reached up to cup the back of her head. He felt heat and cold race along his nerves, felt her heart pounding and her breath coming every bit as fast as his. Then there was only her mouth, slick and firm against his--
"You're an ass, you know that don't you?" Vala declared, ripping her mouth away.
"What…?" Daniel asked thickly.
Vala pushed him back against the loveseat and turned away, stalking to the other side of it, where she flung herself down and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "You know, what you were doing was, essentially, pulling my pigtails."
Daniel opened his mouth to reply and paused, frowning. "What? Wait. Where did you pick up that metaphor?"
"Sam taught it to me," Vala replied coolly. "While assuring me that you didn't mean any harm; you were just being a typical male. In love."
"Oh," Daniel bit his lip.
"So. You treat me as if I have no feelings at all. Then you come in here and think you can just apologize, tell me you love me and that makes it all right?"
"No," Daniel shook his head, hurrying around to the other side of the loveseat. "Vala, that's--that's not what I meant to do."
"Well, what then?" she demanded.
"I--" he began, then broke off, raking his fingers through his hair. "I dunno. I don't know what I'm doing! You--you just make me so crazy!"
Before she could say anything, he had flopped down on the cushion beside her. He felt his cheeks redden, and stared sullenly at the wall, keeping his eyes firmly away from her. Then he heard a soft but unmistakable snort of laughter. An answering chuckle started to form, and he bit the inside of his cheek to resist it. Finally, though, he turned to look at her, the corners of his mouth turning up in a wry grin.
"This is pretty ridiculous, isn't it?" he asked.
"Mmm-hmm," she agreed, edging closer and coiling an arm around him.
Daniel frowned and started to speak again, his tone shifting to become serious. "It's just that--when you disappeared--everything shut down. I guess I--" he broke off, wetting his lips with his tongue. Warm tears began to well in his eyes, but he let them come. "I lost Sha're. I don't know if I can do that again. Forgive me?" he finished, his voice cracking on the phrase.
Vala nodded, leaning forward to brush his damp cheek with her lips. "I won't disappear, Daniel," she promised.
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU She tasted of candy-apple lip gloss now, but her lips were as warm and full as he remembered...
Rating: PG
Length: Around 1000 words
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings/Charaters: Daniel/Vala; Implied Vala/Sam friendship
A/N: The story is cannon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves, goes AU by the end.
What To Do When Pulling Pigtails Backfires
Daniel really didn't expect her to open the door. She had every reason not to. If she did open it, he wouldn't be surprised if she only stood there long enough to punch him in the face. Pacing in front of Vala's door, he admitted he wouldn't blame her. As the door moved back, he drew in a breath, bracing himself for the familiar crunch of her knuckles against his nose. She stood there, though, eyes wide with surprise, and only moved awkwardly aside, gesturing for him to come in.
He swallowed reflexively, feeling suddenly cold. All the determination he'd worked up on the trek from his office to her quarters suddenly deserted him, and he stood bewildered, unsure of anything but the racing of his pulse. Vala's forehead creased into a frown, and she uncomfortably cleared her throat.
"Did you want to come in?" she asked.
He half nodded, barreling into the room before he could talk himself out of it. Coming to a halt with his hands against the back of the secondhand loveseat that Sam had given her, he dug his fingers into the soft fabric and struggled in vain to even form a sentence. He could feel her eyes on his back, heard the door slide softly shut, and then heard her footsteps approach.
Whirling around, Daniel took a step toward her, and Vala froze. Their eyes met for a long moment, but finally he forced his gaze away. Drawing a quick breath, he said finally, "Vala, I--I wanna apologize. For how I treated you--on the ship. And--and before that, the things I said to you in the briefing room--about your past. I--don't know where that was coming from."
"There's no need, Daniel," she said, and his head jerked back up in time to see her give a stiff shrug.
"Yes, there is," he said hurriedly, determined to finish what he'd come here to say. "You're a member of the team. And that means we back each other up, not--not pick fights and tear each other down."
"Oh," she said, forcing her tone to remain casual, though he clearly read the disappointment she was trying not to show.
"And--" he began, but felt his breath catch and the sudden damp chill of perspiration on his palms and the back of his neck. He clenched his fists without thinking, then quickly released them and took another breath.
Her brow furrowed again, this time with a mix of concern and trepidation. Daniel took another step and saw her tense. He wondered for half a second if she was going to back away, but instead she took a cautious step in his direction.
"And?" she prompted, arching an eyebrow.
"Vala, I'm in love you," he said, forcing the words out before his brain could get in the way again. "I've--I've been in love with you--I don't know how long---but then you were gone--and then you came back, and you were married to Tomin and I--"
"Daniel, I know," she cut him off.
"What do you mean, you know?!" he cried. "How do you know?!"
"A girl knows when someone's in love with her," she shrugged. "And, honestly, you don't hide your feelings very well."
"Wha--you--you mean you've known all this time, and--and you let me just keep--" he broke off, slapping his arms against his sides in frustration.
"Well, Daniel, what was I supposed to do?" she shot back.
He opened his mouth to reply, but shook his head and shut it again. "Kiss me," he heard himself say finally, then gulped at the realization that the words had actually come out of his mouth.
"Daniel, if I had kissed you, you would have been furious," Vala said sharply.
"Huh? No!" he exclaimed. "I mean--kiss me now."
Vala's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she stared for a moment. "Oh," she said slowly, stepping forward to close the remaining distance between them. Her hands slid over his taut shoulders, and he lowered his head to meet her lips.
She tasted of candy-apple lip gloss now, but her lips were as warm and full as he remembered. One arm wound around her, pulling her tighter against his chest, while the other reached up to cup the back of her head. He felt heat and cold race along his nerves, felt her heart pounding and her breath coming every bit as fast as his. Then there was only her mouth, slick and firm against his--
"You're an ass, you know that don't you?" Vala declared, ripping her mouth away.
"What…?" Daniel asked thickly.
Vala pushed him back against the loveseat and turned away, stalking to the other side of it, where she flung herself down and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "You know, what you were doing was, essentially, pulling my pigtails."
Daniel opened his mouth to reply and paused, frowning. "What? Wait. Where did you pick up that metaphor?"
"Sam taught it to me," Vala replied coolly. "While assuring me that you didn't mean any harm; you were just being a typical male. In love."
"Oh," Daniel bit his lip.
"So. You treat me as if I have no feelings at all. Then you come in here and think you can just apologize, tell me you love me and that makes it all right?"
"No," Daniel shook his head, hurrying around to the other side of the loveseat. "Vala, that's--that's not what I meant to do."
"Well, what then?" she demanded.
"I--" he began, then broke off, raking his fingers through his hair. "I dunno. I don't know what I'm doing! You--you just make me so crazy!"
Before she could say anything, he had flopped down on the cushion beside her. He felt his cheeks redden, and stared sullenly at the wall, keeping his eyes firmly away from her. Then he heard a soft but unmistakable snort of laughter. An answering chuckle started to form, and he bit the inside of his cheek to resist it. Finally, though, he turned to look at her, the corners of his mouth turning up in a wry grin.
"This is pretty ridiculous, isn't it?" he asked.
"Mmm-hmm," she agreed, edging closer and coiling an arm around him.
Daniel frowned and started to speak again, his tone shifting to become serious. "It's just that--when you disappeared--everything shut down. I guess I--" he broke off, wetting his lips with his tongue. Warm tears began to well in his eyes, but he let them come. "I lost Sha're. I don't know if I can do that again. Forgive me?" he finished, his voice cracking on the phrase.
Vala nodded, leaning forward to brush his damp cheek with her lips. "I won't disappear, Daniel," she promised.