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halloween night (g, vala/daniel bffness)
The jack o' lantern grinned horrifically at Daniel as he balanced it in once hand, forcing his key into the lock and stumbling into the door. It had actually been Teal'c creation; Mitchell had decided that swapping pumpkins after they carved them was some kind of brilliant bonding ritual. And had Daniel known, he probably would have spent less time meticulously carving his own.
At least, he thought, Sam had ended up with his, so at least it was someone who could appreciate it.
He deposited the lopsided pumpkin on the table along with his keys and his wallet. The evening had been long, but none-the-less enjoyable. He had spent it talking shop, bantering with Vala, and laughing while Teal'c tried to explain Halloween to her while they drank beer and watched horror movies. If nothing else, Mitchell had seemed pleased by the outcome. And Daniel was just ready to go to sleep.
Stumbling into his room, he didn't bother to turn on the light. Retrieving a pair of sweatpants and a shirt from his dresser, he changed quickly and yawned dramatically before pawing his way to his bed in the dark.
Lifting the cover, he slipped underneath, stretching his legs. And then his feet made contact with a warm, solid lump that really should not have been there.
“Ouch!”
“Arrghhhh!” Daniel pulled back and fell out of the bed. But the alarm immediately lessened to annoyance. He knew that voice. Oh, he knew that voice.
He grasped the side of the bed and lifted his head to stare over the edge of the mattress. With one hand, he turned on the bedside light.
“Vala, what are you doing in my bed?”
A mass of black hair nearly obscured the eyes peering at him from beneath his blanket. “I was sleeping. At least I was until you kicked me.”
“You're in my bed!”
“Where else was I supposed to sleep?”
“Oh, I don't know, maybe in your bed!”
Deciding he wasn't going to let Vala get the better of him again, Daniel climbed up and sat on the edge of the matress. Vala didn't move, instead just staring at him from her blanket cocoon.
He sighed and tried to soften his tone. “You can't just leave the base for a night without letting General Landry know.”
Vala returned a sigh that was decidedly more frustrated than his had been. “I know that, Daniel. General Landry thinks I'm staying at Teal'c's.”
“Teal'c knows you're here?”
“Not... exactly.”
The annoyance was rising again, quickly, and Daniel flattened his tone. “Vala.”
“Teal'c thinks I'm staying with Colonel Mitchell for the night.”
“Mitchell knows you're here?”
“No, Colonel Mitchell thinks I'm staying with Samantha.”
Tightening his hands into fists, Daniel took a deep breath. “And let me guess, Sam thinks...”
“...I went back to the SGC.” Vala finished. She flashed him a Cheshire grin, obviously satisfied with her web of deception.
Daniel dropped his head into his hands. This was easily handled, he reasoned. He just needed to get them both up earlier enough in the morning to get them back to the SGC in the morning before anyone else showed up. There wasn't any way he was driving her back there tonight.
“Vala, you can't just climb through my window into my apartment at all hours.”
She finally sat up in the bed, pushing her hair out of her face and shooting him a disgruntled look. “Don't be ridiculous, Daniel. I came in through the front door.”
“You don't have a ke- You know what? I don't want to know.”
The room settled into an awkward silence. Vala's face was scrunched into a frown, and she pinched the side of the blanket in her fingers rhythmically. In his heart of hearts, he knew it was a ploy, but Daniel still hated to see her sulk.
“Okay, fine, you can stay. But only if you tell me what you're doing here.”
She looked up at him, a glint of embarrassment in her eyes. “That movie sort of... scared me.”
Daniel stared at her quietly for a moment. And then he began to laugh. It started as a low chuckle, but before long it dissolved into hearty chuckles of glee, and he was doubled over on the bed. It took him a moment to sober himself, only to find Vala staring him in abject horror. His smile dropped away as quickly as it came.
“Wait... You're serious.”
“Yes, I'm serious. Teal'c said it was based on a true story and honestly I don't see the point in making movies about people injuring each other like that. Earth really shouldn't glorify that kind of behavior.”
Blinking in confusion, Daniel tried to keep up with her. “Well, I think they used the phrase 'based on a true story' very loosely. And I don't think the intent was exactly to glorify it...”
“It doesn't matter. I don't think it's entertaining and now I keep imagining some crazy person climbing through my bedroom window with a chainsaw.”
“Your bedroom doesn't have a window.”
“That's not the point!”
He held up his palms to face her, trying to encourage her to calm down while he thought this through. “I know you've been through some pretty bad things, and no matter how flippant you are about it I'm sure it affects you in ways that I don't even think you actually understand. We live under the constant threat of death so I think it's completely justifiable that you don't find that kind of thing entertaining.”
Vala stared at him, long enough for him to know he had said something truthful enough that she didn't even feel the need to justify it with a joke or a lie. It took her a moment to finally speak. “If you don't want me to stay, I'll go.”
“You can stay. Believe me, two and half hours of watching people get their limbs sawed off isn't exactly my idea of a relaxing evening, either. Maybe we shouldn't let Teal'c pick movies anymore.”
“I hope you're not disappointed if I don't ask you to crawl into bed and stay up all night telling me scary stories.” Her face broke into a chiding grin.
Daniel climbed off the bed, defeated, and grabbed one of the pillows. “Well, at least you had some fun. Halloween isn't so bad once you get an idea of how scary too scary is for you.”
Vala shrugged. She looked strangely small, curled up in his blanket and staring up at him, and it was such a portrait of innocence that even Daniel felt his heart melt a little. “I did like carving pumpkins,” she agreed. “Though I don't know where, exactly, your culture's obsession with decimating natural objects in honor of your holidays came from.”
“That's probably a really long story for another night.” Daniel moved to the door, having already decided that Vala could stay in the bed. She was already there, after all. That and the couch was cramped enough to make it less likely for her to try to crawl in with him halfway through the night.
He offered her a smile and clicked off the light. He listened to the sound of her rustling back into the bed as he shut the door, before her voice bellowed through the dark.
“You locked all your windows, right?”
“Goodnight, Vala,” Daniel responded, as if he hadn't heard her. But he left the door open a crack anyway. Just in case.
Making himself comfortable on the couch was a bit of a bother, and Daniel could hear Vala toss and turn down the hall. Leave it to her; she could look death straight in the eye every day and laugh at it, but give her one horror movie late at night and she probably wouldn't sleep a wink. She was a puzzle that Daniel was far from figuring out, but for a rare occasion, he was sort of okay with that.
Daniel hoped his own dreams wouldn't be filled with images of ghouls or goblins or crazy murderers wielding chainsaws; after all, he got enough of that in the daylight hours too. He couldn't deny there was comfort in knowing the closest thing he had to a best friend was right down the hall, and it was touching to think that she felt safer near him than she did anywhere else.
He heard the sounds of her shuffling fade into soft, rhythmic breaths as she faded into a peaceful sleep. Sure, it was at the cost of him spending the night scrunched up uncomfortably on a couch; but, he decided, he was sort of okay with that, too.
At least, he thought, Sam had ended up with his, so at least it was someone who could appreciate it.
He deposited the lopsided pumpkin on the table along with his keys and his wallet. The evening had been long, but none-the-less enjoyable. He had spent it talking shop, bantering with Vala, and laughing while Teal'c tried to explain Halloween to her while they drank beer and watched horror movies. If nothing else, Mitchell had seemed pleased by the outcome. And Daniel was just ready to go to sleep.
Stumbling into his room, he didn't bother to turn on the light. Retrieving a pair of sweatpants and a shirt from his dresser, he changed quickly and yawned dramatically before pawing his way to his bed in the dark.
Lifting the cover, he slipped underneath, stretching his legs. And then his feet made contact with a warm, solid lump that really should not have been there.
“Ouch!”
“Arrghhhh!” Daniel pulled back and fell out of the bed. But the alarm immediately lessened to annoyance. He knew that voice. Oh, he knew that voice.
He grasped the side of the bed and lifted his head to stare over the edge of the mattress. With one hand, he turned on the bedside light.
“Vala, what are you doing in my bed?”
A mass of black hair nearly obscured the eyes peering at him from beneath his blanket. “I was sleeping. At least I was until you kicked me.”
“You're in my bed!”
“Where else was I supposed to sleep?”
“Oh, I don't know, maybe in your bed!”
Deciding he wasn't going to let Vala get the better of him again, Daniel climbed up and sat on the edge of the matress. Vala didn't move, instead just staring at him from her blanket cocoon.
He sighed and tried to soften his tone. “You can't just leave the base for a night without letting General Landry know.”
Vala returned a sigh that was decidedly more frustrated than his had been. “I know that, Daniel. General Landry thinks I'm staying at Teal'c's.”
“Teal'c knows you're here?”
“Not... exactly.”
The annoyance was rising again, quickly, and Daniel flattened his tone. “Vala.”
“Teal'c thinks I'm staying with Colonel Mitchell for the night.”
“Mitchell knows you're here?”
“No, Colonel Mitchell thinks I'm staying with Samantha.”
Tightening his hands into fists, Daniel took a deep breath. “And let me guess, Sam thinks...”
“...I went back to the SGC.” Vala finished. She flashed him a Cheshire grin, obviously satisfied with her web of deception.
Daniel dropped his head into his hands. This was easily handled, he reasoned. He just needed to get them both up earlier enough in the morning to get them back to the SGC in the morning before anyone else showed up. There wasn't any way he was driving her back there tonight.
“Vala, you can't just climb through my window into my apartment at all hours.”
She finally sat up in the bed, pushing her hair out of her face and shooting him a disgruntled look. “Don't be ridiculous, Daniel. I came in through the front door.”
“You don't have a ke- You know what? I don't want to know.”
The room settled into an awkward silence. Vala's face was scrunched into a frown, and she pinched the side of the blanket in her fingers rhythmically. In his heart of hearts, he knew it was a ploy, but Daniel still hated to see her sulk.
“Okay, fine, you can stay. But only if you tell me what you're doing here.”
She looked up at him, a glint of embarrassment in her eyes. “That movie sort of... scared me.”
Daniel stared at her quietly for a moment. And then he began to laugh. It started as a low chuckle, but before long it dissolved into hearty chuckles of glee, and he was doubled over on the bed. It took him a moment to sober himself, only to find Vala staring him in abject horror. His smile dropped away as quickly as it came.
“Wait... You're serious.”
“Yes, I'm serious. Teal'c said it was based on a true story and honestly I don't see the point in making movies about people injuring each other like that. Earth really shouldn't glorify that kind of behavior.”
Blinking in confusion, Daniel tried to keep up with her. “Well, I think they used the phrase 'based on a true story' very loosely. And I don't think the intent was exactly to glorify it...”
“It doesn't matter. I don't think it's entertaining and now I keep imagining some crazy person climbing through my bedroom window with a chainsaw.”
“Your bedroom doesn't have a window.”
“That's not the point!”
He held up his palms to face her, trying to encourage her to calm down while he thought this through. “I know you've been through some pretty bad things, and no matter how flippant you are about it I'm sure it affects you in ways that I don't even think you actually understand. We live under the constant threat of death so I think it's completely justifiable that you don't find that kind of thing entertaining.”
Vala stared at him, long enough for him to know he had said something truthful enough that she didn't even feel the need to justify it with a joke or a lie. It took her a moment to finally speak. “If you don't want me to stay, I'll go.”
“You can stay. Believe me, two and half hours of watching people get their limbs sawed off isn't exactly my idea of a relaxing evening, either. Maybe we shouldn't let Teal'c pick movies anymore.”
“I hope you're not disappointed if I don't ask you to crawl into bed and stay up all night telling me scary stories.” Her face broke into a chiding grin.
Daniel climbed off the bed, defeated, and grabbed one of the pillows. “Well, at least you had some fun. Halloween isn't so bad once you get an idea of how scary too scary is for you.”
Vala shrugged. She looked strangely small, curled up in his blanket and staring up at him, and it was such a portrait of innocence that even Daniel felt his heart melt a little. “I did like carving pumpkins,” she agreed. “Though I don't know where, exactly, your culture's obsession with decimating natural objects in honor of your holidays came from.”
“That's probably a really long story for another night.” Daniel moved to the door, having already decided that Vala could stay in the bed. She was already there, after all. That and the couch was cramped enough to make it less likely for her to try to crawl in with him halfway through the night.
He offered her a smile and clicked off the light. He listened to the sound of her rustling back into the bed as he shut the door, before her voice bellowed through the dark.
“You locked all your windows, right?”
“Goodnight, Vala,” Daniel responded, as if he hadn't heard her. But he left the door open a crack anyway. Just in case.
Making himself comfortable on the couch was a bit of a bother, and Daniel could hear Vala toss and turn down the hall. Leave it to her; she could look death straight in the eye every day and laugh at it, but give her one horror movie late at night and she probably wouldn't sleep a wink. She was a puzzle that Daniel was far from figuring out, but for a rare occasion, he was sort of okay with that.
Daniel hoped his own dreams wouldn't be filled with images of ghouls or goblins or crazy murderers wielding chainsaws; after all, he got enough of that in the daylight hours too. He couldn't deny there was comfort in knowing the closest thing he had to a best friend was right down the hall, and it was touching to think that she felt safer near him than she did anywhere else.
He heard the sounds of her shuffling fade into soft, rhythmic breaths as she faded into a peaceful sleep. Sure, it was at the cost of him spending the night scrunched up uncomfortably on a couch; but, he decided, he was sort of okay with that, too.