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slashing_lorneTitle: A Long Expected Party
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
archae_ology
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sheppard/Lorne
Summary: Prepping for parties can be a tedious task, especially when trees, giftwrap and various other forces seem to conspire against you.
Author's notes: The idea for this fic just sort of hit me upside the head and I had to write it. Big huge thanks toscifinut for constantly encouraging me and being a wonderful beta and to neth_dugan for her suggestions.
1
“Oh shit!” Evan scrambled to hold on to the tree to keep it from falling out of its stand. It was the same thing every year, no matter where he was. The tree would inevitably come crashing down at some point, and usually, the only hope he ever had of stopping it involved nailing the stand to the floor or tying the tree to the ceiling. And this tree? Well, it was a bit larger than most. Why the hell had he volunteered for tree duty in the first place.
“Major?”
Evan jerked his head up, and saw that he was being watched from the other side of the room.
“Hi, sir.” He grunted, bracing his back against the wall as he attempted to pull the tree back up.
Sheppard smiled crookedly. “Having some troubles?”
“Just a little.” Letting out an uncomfortable laugh, Evan winced as he felt cold water splashing over his feet.
“Here, let me help.” Crossing the room quickly, Sheppard reached through the branches of the tree and supported the trunk. “Get back a bit further, I’m going to help you get it back into place.”
Evan nodded as he shifted back into position. “Got it, sir, standing back now.”
With a grunt, Sheppard bent his knees and pushed the trunk of the tree forward. It shifted little by little, but soon it was upright and they were able to position it in a safer position for the time being.
“Going to lean it now.” He warned Evan.
“Okay, I’ll guide it.” Keeping his grip firm on the tree, Evan shifted the tree toward the corner. Finally he was able to rest it in a safe position, and only then did he slide out from behind the tree, letting out a sigh of relief. While he was covered in pine needles and sap, and his feet were soaked, at least they’d been able to save the tree from the floor.
“Thanks, sir.” He smiled tiredly. “Glad you saved me from the Christmas curse this year.”
“Christmas curse?” Sheppard raised an eyebrow. “This has happened before?”
“Yeah. Way too many times to count.” Evan nodded, brushing at the needles ineffectively. “I don’t think Christmas trees like me all that much.”
Sheppard eyed the tree before looking back at Evan. “From what I’ve seen, I’m not going to argue with you.”
“That would be smart, sir.”
Shaking his head, Sheppard took a step forward. “You can drop the sir now, Evan. We’re the only ones in this section of the city right now, and this is supposed to be a surprised so maybe three other people know about this place.”
Evan smiled. “Sorry, John. Force of habit.”
“You don’t have to explain it to me, I get it.” Running a hand through his hair, Sheppard snorted. “And you really are kind of a mess right now.”
“Yeah, I’m not surprised.” Evan rolled his shoulders and he heard pine needles sprinkling on the floor. “Trees tend to like taking the proverbial shit on me.”
“Only you, Evan. I think even McKay gets along better with trees than you.”
“McKay’s Canadian, he’s used to trees. And rocks. And snow.” Brushing ineffectively at the sap that streaked down one arm, he frowned as he pulled his hand away. His fingers were covered with the sap and were sticking together uncomfortably.
Sheppard rolled his eyes before leaning forward and wrapping his hand around Evan’s wrist. “Come on, there’s one of those bathrooms on this level, the big group ones. I think Chuck said he stocked it with some soap.” Tugging him toward the door, Sheppard purposefully ignored the tree, deciding for the both of them that the logistics of that particular situation could be handled later on and preferably by someone else. Maybe McKay.
2
Unlike Christmas trees, one of the things that Evan was confidant with during the holiday season was gift wrapping. When he was growing up, he had been the one everyone in his family had gone to, to wrap the presents that they had bought for others. Although, they never went so far as to ask him to wrap his own gifts, but the perfect corners and bow placement on what he received tended to lead him to believe that they had employed the mall wrapping service. Not that he could really blame them.
The night passed quickly, and by the time eleven Atlantis time rolled around he had been at work for the better part of three hours.
“Next time,” he groaned, stretching out his legs. “Everyone gets to do their own. Unless they pay me."
Turning to look at the door he frowned slightly. John was supposed to be back from his mission an hour earlier, but he hadn’t heard the alert for the gate yet. He hoped everything was alright, but he knew that even if it wasn’t, he would be called in sooner rather than later.
Glancing at the clock he pressed his lips together. “Back to work.”
The next few hours crawled by slowly, and Evan felt his eyes beginning to burn. The read out on his watch told him that a little over two hours had passed. Looking up, he observed the mess that had somehow accumulated on the floor. He only had a few packages left to wrap, but they were small, he would be able to finish them quickly.
But then again it was late and he was tired. It couldn’t really hurt to have a nap before getting back to work. There was still plenty of time before the party.
Brushing the rolls of wrapping paper and tape onto the floor beside the bed, he allowed himself to fall side ways, his head hitting the pillow with a soft thump. Just an hour, he thought hazily, eyes already drifting shut, that was it.
It was almost two in the morning by the time Sheppard finally arrived at Evan’s quarters. He had expected to be back from their mission three hours earlier, but as it turned out, they were not allowed to leave until the sun had set. Some local superstition that even Teyla had not known about. But he was back now, and ready to go to bed. It had been one hell of a long day.
Opening the doors, he slipped inside silently, unsure whether Evan would be awake or not. Sheppard waited for his eyes to adjust to the dimmed lights, and turning his head, he noticed that the room was covered in packages of different sizes, mostly wrapped, and there were shreds of paper all over the place.
“You’ve been busy, haven’t you?” He remarked quietly, shedding his coat onto the floor before toeing off his already undone boots.
Sheppard crept over to the bed, and found that Evan was curled up on his side, tiny slivers of paper clinging to his shirt, and a strip of tape in his hair. Leaning down, Sheppard pulled the tape out of his hair as gently as possible before pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. “Sometimes, I really don’t get you,” he murmured, slipping into bed beside the other man. “I really don’t.”
3
The day of the Christmas party was rather unchristmas-like, well, at least for anyone who grew up in the northern hemisphere. There was no snow, no cold, just warm breezes and temperatures that were almost too hot. But it was Christmas none the less.
McKay was staking out the punch bowl, eyeing Carson possessively as he played Santa to some of the Athosian children. Turns out a Scottish Santa met the approval of the masses.
Evan was surprised at the turn out though. The party had been announced at the last minute, but it seemed that everyone who knew about it showed up, and then some. Although he couldn’t find Radek around anywhere.
“Excellent turn out, Major.”
Turning around, Evan smiled as he saw Sheppard behind him, extra Santa hat perched on his head at a precarious angle.
“Colonel Sheppard, you look like you’re having a good time.” He gestured at the hat.
“Oh right, that.” Sheppard grinned. “Carson had me playing elf for a bit. Apparently there was something about my ears that made me look vaguely elvish. Elfish. Something like that.”
Evan shrugged. “It’s kind of true. They are rather pointy at the top.”
Unconsciously, Sheppard reached up, hand hovering just above his ear before he realized what was happening. "Very funny." he remarked dryly.
"Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it." Evan's voice was light and still held the respect that he was required to show Sheppard in public, but one look at his eyes, and Sheppard could tell how mischievous he was feeling.
"So." resting his hands on his hips, Sheppard tilt his head toward the door. "Feel like going for a walk?"
Nodding, Evan placed his cup down on the closest table. "Sure. I don't think people will miss us all that much if we go out for a bit. So, lead the way."
Sheppard turned back around and began walking. Evan quickly fell into step beside him, matching strides with ease that came from long practise.
They walked past the transporter bank, then out toward the direction of one of the observation rooms looking over the north pier. It wasn't a place that was used much, visited only by the occasional scientist using the bright room for various experiments that involved direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time. Evan knew that Parrish was particularly fond of the area as he was able to talk to his plants in peace.
Suddenly, Sheppard reached out and tugged Evan into the sheltered alcove. Placing a possessive hand on his hip before pulling him closer, Sheppard rest his back against one of the smooth dark walls.
“Where are we?” Evan asked quietly.
Sheppard grinned. “Little place I found last time McKay needed me on light switch duty. Turns out it's a great spot for hiding out when you want to avoid people."
Smiling, Evan nodded. "Sounds like a nice little discovery."
"At the risk of sounding like Teal'c, indeed." Sheppard raised an eyebrow for a moment, but all too soon his resolve broke and he was ducking his head, smiling once more.
"You're a very, very special person John," Evan shook his head, leaning forward so that he was pressed closer to Sheppard's body. "Very special."
"Glad you think so. But you know what?"
"What?"
“Merry Christmas, Evan.” Bowing his head, he pressed his lips to Evan’s gently before pulling back, one hand wrapped around the back of Evan's neck.
“Merry Christmas, John.”
Author:
archae_ologyRating: PG
Pairing: Sheppard/Lorne
Summary: Prepping for parties can be a tedious task, especially when trees, giftwrap and various other forces seem to conspire against you.
Author's notes: The idea for this fic just sort of hit me upside the head and I had to write it. Big huge thanks to
scifinut for constantly encouraging me and being a wonderful beta and to neth_dugan for her suggestions.1
“Oh shit!” Evan scrambled to hold on to the tree to keep it from falling out of its stand. It was the same thing every year, no matter where he was. The tree would inevitably come crashing down at some point, and usually, the only hope he ever had of stopping it involved nailing the stand to the floor or tying the tree to the ceiling. And this tree? Well, it was a bit larger than most. Why the hell had he volunteered for tree duty in the first place.
“Major?”
Evan jerked his head up, and saw that he was being watched from the other side of the room.
“Hi, sir.” He grunted, bracing his back against the wall as he attempted to pull the tree back up.
Sheppard smiled crookedly. “Having some troubles?”
“Just a little.” Letting out an uncomfortable laugh, Evan winced as he felt cold water splashing over his feet.
“Here, let me help.” Crossing the room quickly, Sheppard reached through the branches of the tree and supported the trunk. “Get back a bit further, I’m going to help you get it back into place.”
Evan nodded as he shifted back into position. “Got it, sir, standing back now.”
With a grunt, Sheppard bent his knees and pushed the trunk of the tree forward. It shifted little by little, but soon it was upright and they were able to position it in a safer position for the time being.
“Going to lean it now.” He warned Evan.
“Okay, I’ll guide it.” Keeping his grip firm on the tree, Evan shifted the tree toward the corner. Finally he was able to rest it in a safe position, and only then did he slide out from behind the tree, letting out a sigh of relief. While he was covered in pine needles and sap, and his feet were soaked, at least they’d been able to save the tree from the floor.
“Thanks, sir.” He smiled tiredly. “Glad you saved me from the Christmas curse this year.”
“Christmas curse?” Sheppard raised an eyebrow. “This has happened before?”
“Yeah. Way too many times to count.” Evan nodded, brushing at the needles ineffectively. “I don’t think Christmas trees like me all that much.”
Sheppard eyed the tree before looking back at Evan. “From what I’ve seen, I’m not going to argue with you.”
“That would be smart, sir.”
Shaking his head, Sheppard took a step forward. “You can drop the sir now, Evan. We’re the only ones in this section of the city right now, and this is supposed to be a surprised so maybe three other people know about this place.”
Evan smiled. “Sorry, John. Force of habit.”
“You don’t have to explain it to me, I get it.” Running a hand through his hair, Sheppard snorted. “And you really are kind of a mess right now.”
“Yeah, I’m not surprised.” Evan rolled his shoulders and he heard pine needles sprinkling on the floor. “Trees tend to like taking the proverbial shit on me.”
“Only you, Evan. I think even McKay gets along better with trees than you.”
“McKay’s Canadian, he’s used to trees. And rocks. And snow.” Brushing ineffectively at the sap that streaked down one arm, he frowned as he pulled his hand away. His fingers were covered with the sap and were sticking together uncomfortably.
Sheppard rolled his eyes before leaning forward and wrapping his hand around Evan’s wrist. “Come on, there’s one of those bathrooms on this level, the big group ones. I think Chuck said he stocked it with some soap.” Tugging him toward the door, Sheppard purposefully ignored the tree, deciding for the both of them that the logistics of that particular situation could be handled later on and preferably by someone else. Maybe McKay.
2
Unlike Christmas trees, one of the things that Evan was confidant with during the holiday season was gift wrapping. When he was growing up, he had been the one everyone in his family had gone to, to wrap the presents that they had bought for others. Although, they never went so far as to ask him to wrap his own gifts, but the perfect corners and bow placement on what he received tended to lead him to believe that they had employed the mall wrapping service. Not that he could really blame them.
The night passed quickly, and by the time eleven Atlantis time rolled around he had been at work for the better part of three hours.
“Next time,” he groaned, stretching out his legs. “Everyone gets to do their own. Unless they pay me."
Turning to look at the door he frowned slightly. John was supposed to be back from his mission an hour earlier, but he hadn’t heard the alert for the gate yet. He hoped everything was alright, but he knew that even if it wasn’t, he would be called in sooner rather than later.
Glancing at the clock he pressed his lips together. “Back to work.”
The next few hours crawled by slowly, and Evan felt his eyes beginning to burn. The read out on his watch told him that a little over two hours had passed. Looking up, he observed the mess that had somehow accumulated on the floor. He only had a few packages left to wrap, but they were small, he would be able to finish them quickly.
But then again it was late and he was tired. It couldn’t really hurt to have a nap before getting back to work. There was still plenty of time before the party.
Brushing the rolls of wrapping paper and tape onto the floor beside the bed, he allowed himself to fall side ways, his head hitting the pillow with a soft thump. Just an hour, he thought hazily, eyes already drifting shut, that was it.
It was almost two in the morning by the time Sheppard finally arrived at Evan’s quarters. He had expected to be back from their mission three hours earlier, but as it turned out, they were not allowed to leave until the sun had set. Some local superstition that even Teyla had not known about. But he was back now, and ready to go to bed. It had been one hell of a long day.
Opening the doors, he slipped inside silently, unsure whether Evan would be awake or not. Sheppard waited for his eyes to adjust to the dimmed lights, and turning his head, he noticed that the room was covered in packages of different sizes, mostly wrapped, and there were shreds of paper all over the place.
“You’ve been busy, haven’t you?” He remarked quietly, shedding his coat onto the floor before toeing off his already undone boots.
Sheppard crept over to the bed, and found that Evan was curled up on his side, tiny slivers of paper clinging to his shirt, and a strip of tape in his hair. Leaning down, Sheppard pulled the tape out of his hair as gently as possible before pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. “Sometimes, I really don’t get you,” he murmured, slipping into bed beside the other man. “I really don’t.”
3
The day of the Christmas party was rather unchristmas-like, well, at least for anyone who grew up in the northern hemisphere. There was no snow, no cold, just warm breezes and temperatures that were almost too hot. But it was Christmas none the less.
McKay was staking out the punch bowl, eyeing Carson possessively as he played Santa to some of the Athosian children. Turns out a Scottish Santa met the approval of the masses.
Evan was surprised at the turn out though. The party had been announced at the last minute, but it seemed that everyone who knew about it showed up, and then some. Although he couldn’t find Radek around anywhere.
“Excellent turn out, Major.”
Turning around, Evan smiled as he saw Sheppard behind him, extra Santa hat perched on his head at a precarious angle.
“Colonel Sheppard, you look like you’re having a good time.” He gestured at the hat.
“Oh right, that.” Sheppard grinned. “Carson had me playing elf for a bit. Apparently there was something about my ears that made me look vaguely elvish. Elfish. Something like that.”
Evan shrugged. “It’s kind of true. They are rather pointy at the top.”
Unconsciously, Sheppard reached up, hand hovering just above his ear before he realized what was happening. "Very funny." he remarked dryly.
"Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it." Evan's voice was light and still held the respect that he was required to show Sheppard in public, but one look at his eyes, and Sheppard could tell how mischievous he was feeling.
"So." resting his hands on his hips, Sheppard tilt his head toward the door. "Feel like going for a walk?"
Nodding, Evan placed his cup down on the closest table. "Sure. I don't think people will miss us all that much if we go out for a bit. So, lead the way."
Sheppard turned back around and began walking. Evan quickly fell into step beside him, matching strides with ease that came from long practise.
They walked past the transporter bank, then out toward the direction of one of the observation rooms looking over the north pier. It wasn't a place that was used much, visited only by the occasional scientist using the bright room for various experiments that involved direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time. Evan knew that Parrish was particularly fond of the area as he was able to talk to his plants in peace.
Suddenly, Sheppard reached out and tugged Evan into the sheltered alcove. Placing a possessive hand on his hip before pulling him closer, Sheppard rest his back against one of the smooth dark walls.
“Where are we?” Evan asked quietly.
Sheppard grinned. “Little place I found last time McKay needed me on light switch duty. Turns out it's a great spot for hiding out when you want to avoid people."
Smiling, Evan nodded. "Sounds like a nice little discovery."
"At the risk of sounding like Teal'c, indeed." Sheppard raised an eyebrow for a moment, but all too soon his resolve broke and he was ducking his head, smiling once more.
"You're a very, very special person John," Evan shook his head, leaning forward so that he was pressed closer to Sheppard's body. "Very special."
"Glad you think so. But you know what?"
"What?"
“Merry Christmas, Evan.” Bowing his head, he pressed his lips to Evan’s gently before pulling back, one hand wrapped around the back of Evan's neck.
“Merry Christmas, John.”
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