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Lucky to Have You - Stargate: Atlantis - Evan Lorne/David Parrish - Words: 1,452
Written for Stargateland; Prompt: Luck
Summary: Evan Lorne learns how lucky he is.
Content Notes: None. PG
On AO3: Lucky to Have You
Evan Lorne stood in front of the 'Gate aware that he was dripping a particularly foul smelling mud onto the smooth surface of the Ancient city floor and listened intently for the sound of the wormhole ceasing to exist behind him. The familiar absence of noise after it closed reassured him as much as the quiet presence of his team standing beside him did. Colonel Sheppard was descending the staircase, taking in Evan's filthy and disheveled appearance in contrast to his relatively clean and unharmed teammates.
"I'll take Offworld Adventures for 500," Sheppard said with the slightest hint of a smirk.
Evan fought not to roll his eyes but took the bait anyway. "Three hour ceremony concluding with a complicated chant and their 'spirits' chasing us from the town," he said, wiping some of the mud that was coating his forehead away with his hand and letting it plop to the floor.
"What is Strange and Unusual Customs of Pegasus Natives?" Sheppard asked, eliciting an appreciative snort from Lieutenant Coughlin.
Considering that Coughlin had taken a bit of a tumble himself, Evan let it go. "That is correct," he told Sheppard without a smile. It had been a long mission, not bad as far as traveling offworld could go, but not comfortable in the slightest. There had been lots of instances when Evan had been relieved and grateful to see Atlantis safe and welcoming, but at the moment he felt downright reverent.
Sheppard moved to pat him on the shoulder in camaraderie but stopped himself a full foot away and made a disgusted face as he got a whiff of Evan for the first time. "Do you need the infirmary or just to be hosed off on one of the piers?"
"Just a shower and a day off," Evan muttered, though he thought it might be quicker to just through himself off one of the low piers into the ocean. If he couldn't hear the soft sounds of rain pelting one of the nearby windows he might have considered it. Swimming in the ocean that surrounded Atlantis wasn't done too often, but there was nothing in the immediate area that posed a considerable danger. The water was damn cold though.
"Consider it done, for you and your team, though if you don't have a mission report in by seventy two hours Carter will come looking for me. Don't let that happen," Sheppard said, waggling his eyebrows in a way that Evan couldn't decipher and then disappearing off into the depths of the city.
Evan turned to his team, trying not to seem overly surprised by this unexpected boon. "You heard Sheppard, go off and spend the rest of the day being as unproductive as possible," he said. He tried to ignore the high five between Coughlin and Reed and set to slogging towards his own quarters. Sure, he'd be leaving a trail through the entire city, but while there was a room in the city spire that they used a locker room it didn't have a shower.
Twenty minutes later Evan was still standing under the warm stream of water in his shower and starting to get a little concerned. The mud he'd been coated in had mostly stuck to his clothes but it had seeped through to cover most of his arms, and his legs from his boots on up - basically everywhere that hadn't been covered by his boots or tac-vest. More importantly, it wasn't coming off under the water, no matter how much soap and scrubbing Evan employed. The top layer of mud had washed off fairly easily, dripping from him under the stream of water, but the rest remained firm. He dropped the washcloth to the floor and placed his hands against the wall, using his gene to tell the city to bring the water hotter and stronger. A few moments later he was reaching for the wall again to bring the water back to his normal temperature and pressure before he was scalded or bruised. It hadn't made any noticeable impression on the mud that was still sticky and plastered to his skin. It looked like he might wind up in the infirmary after all on this one.
Evan got out of the shower and managed to find a towel he wouldn't mind ruining. He had already given up on salvaging his uniform if he couldn't even get the stuff off of his skin. He stood dripping in the middle of the bathroom, wishing he could simply lay down and go to sleep without worrying about waking up permanently stuck to something. The chime that signaled someone was waiting at his door sounded and Evan went to made sure his towel was secure before walking out into the main room of his quarters, but realized that the towel had attached itself firmly to the mud. At least he could still walk without sticking to things.
The door opened automatically as Evan approached and he was left staring at David Parrish's shocked and somewhat puzzled expression. "Hi," Evan said weakly, wondering if David breaking up with him was going to be the culmination of this luck curse the natives had set loose on him, or just a pit stop on the way to the destruction of the city or a Wraith attack.
"Hi," David said, tearing his eyes away from Evan's bare chest and up to his face. "I take it your mission was eventful?"
"Something like that," Evan said, bracing himself for David to laugh or tell him that there was a physicist who'd caught his eye, one that didn't look like a monster out of a low budget sci-fi action film from the 80's.
David paused, his expression flickering through so many emotions that Evan's tired eyes couldn't name any of them. "Can I do anything to help you? Or should I let you get back to your shower?"
"I think I'm on my way to the infirmary, so if you want to tell people that the entertainment will be passing through the main hub of the city at dinner time, that would be great," Evan said, unable to prevent his sarcastic words from tumbling out. "It won't come off," he added, gesturing needlessly to the mud that felt more and more stiff the longer he stood still.
"Have you got clean clothes in there somewhere?" David asked, pointing into Evan's quarters.
Evan frowned. "Well, yes, but I'm a little bit concerned that if I put clothes on, I won't be able to get them off again. Actually, I'm having that concern about this towel."
"Point me to where everything is," David said, reaching to pat a single clean spot on Evan's left shoulder before effortlessly slipping past him into Evan's quarters.
Since it would be more of an effort to fight with David, Evan directed him to where he could find clean clothes and a duffle bag, and five minutes later they were on their way through the back passages of the city. Evan found himself explaining all about how the natives had asked their spirits to bless him with the luck he deserved, and then the subsequent mess of events where absolutely nothing would go right, and how he was now a walking talking bad luck charm.
David laughed, but there wasn't any mockery or cruel amusement in it. "Evan, how many planets do you come back from where it's a miracle that you're still alive, or a miracle that Reed or Coughlin made it back with you? How many times does Sheppard have to send out a team to rescue you from captivity? I'm not saying that falling down a hill into a pit of mud-glue doesn't suck, but I'd say since you're alive, home, and with me, their spirits decided you deserve some pretty good luck."
Evan smiled for the first time in days, feeling the tension in his shoulders unwind. He didn't exactly believe in luck and spirits and karma, but he felt better knowing that David didn't think he was deserving of spirit-delivered bad luck. "I guess I am pretty lucky. Where are we going anyway?" he asked curiously as they turned another corner into a passage he didn't recognize.
"To the greenhouses. We look at a lot of plant properties and I can think of a few things that might take this stuff off without taking off your skin too. And if that doesn't work, at least everyone won't be in the central part of the city when we sneak you into the infirmary," David explained.
"I take that back," Evan said, wishing he could reach for David's hand without risking getting stuck to him. "I have the best luck."
Written for Stargateland; Prompt: Luck
Summary: Evan Lorne learns how lucky he is.
Content Notes: None. PG
On AO3: Lucky to Have You
Evan Lorne stood in front of the 'Gate aware that he was dripping a particularly foul smelling mud onto the smooth surface of the Ancient city floor and listened intently for the sound of the wormhole ceasing to exist behind him. The familiar absence of noise after it closed reassured him as much as the quiet presence of his team standing beside him did. Colonel Sheppard was descending the staircase, taking in Evan's filthy and disheveled appearance in contrast to his relatively clean and unharmed teammates.
"I'll take Offworld Adventures for 500," Sheppard said with the slightest hint of a smirk.
Evan fought not to roll his eyes but took the bait anyway. "Three hour ceremony concluding with a complicated chant and their 'spirits' chasing us from the town," he said, wiping some of the mud that was coating his forehead away with his hand and letting it plop to the floor.
"What is Strange and Unusual Customs of Pegasus Natives?" Sheppard asked, eliciting an appreciative snort from Lieutenant Coughlin.
Considering that Coughlin had taken a bit of a tumble himself, Evan let it go. "That is correct," he told Sheppard without a smile. It had been a long mission, not bad as far as traveling offworld could go, but not comfortable in the slightest. There had been lots of instances when Evan had been relieved and grateful to see Atlantis safe and welcoming, but at the moment he felt downright reverent.
Sheppard moved to pat him on the shoulder in camaraderie but stopped himself a full foot away and made a disgusted face as he got a whiff of Evan for the first time. "Do you need the infirmary or just to be hosed off on one of the piers?"
"Just a shower and a day off," Evan muttered, though he thought it might be quicker to just through himself off one of the low piers into the ocean. If he couldn't hear the soft sounds of rain pelting one of the nearby windows he might have considered it. Swimming in the ocean that surrounded Atlantis wasn't done too often, but there was nothing in the immediate area that posed a considerable danger. The water was damn cold though.
"Consider it done, for you and your team, though if you don't have a mission report in by seventy two hours Carter will come looking for me. Don't let that happen," Sheppard said, waggling his eyebrows in a way that Evan couldn't decipher and then disappearing off into the depths of the city.
Evan turned to his team, trying not to seem overly surprised by this unexpected boon. "You heard Sheppard, go off and spend the rest of the day being as unproductive as possible," he said. He tried to ignore the high five between Coughlin and Reed and set to slogging towards his own quarters. Sure, he'd be leaving a trail through the entire city, but while there was a room in the city spire that they used a locker room it didn't have a shower.
Twenty minutes later Evan was still standing under the warm stream of water in his shower and starting to get a little concerned. The mud he'd been coated in had mostly stuck to his clothes but it had seeped through to cover most of his arms, and his legs from his boots on up - basically everywhere that hadn't been covered by his boots or tac-vest. More importantly, it wasn't coming off under the water, no matter how much soap and scrubbing Evan employed. The top layer of mud had washed off fairly easily, dripping from him under the stream of water, but the rest remained firm. He dropped the washcloth to the floor and placed his hands against the wall, using his gene to tell the city to bring the water hotter and stronger. A few moments later he was reaching for the wall again to bring the water back to his normal temperature and pressure before he was scalded or bruised. It hadn't made any noticeable impression on the mud that was still sticky and plastered to his skin. It looked like he might wind up in the infirmary after all on this one.
Evan got out of the shower and managed to find a towel he wouldn't mind ruining. He had already given up on salvaging his uniform if he couldn't even get the stuff off of his skin. He stood dripping in the middle of the bathroom, wishing he could simply lay down and go to sleep without worrying about waking up permanently stuck to something. The chime that signaled someone was waiting at his door sounded and Evan went to made sure his towel was secure before walking out into the main room of his quarters, but realized that the towel had attached itself firmly to the mud. At least he could still walk without sticking to things.
The door opened automatically as Evan approached and he was left staring at David Parrish's shocked and somewhat puzzled expression. "Hi," Evan said weakly, wondering if David breaking up with him was going to be the culmination of this luck curse the natives had set loose on him, or just a pit stop on the way to the destruction of the city or a Wraith attack.
"Hi," David said, tearing his eyes away from Evan's bare chest and up to his face. "I take it your mission was eventful?"
"Something like that," Evan said, bracing himself for David to laugh or tell him that there was a physicist who'd caught his eye, one that didn't look like a monster out of a low budget sci-fi action film from the 80's.
David paused, his expression flickering through so many emotions that Evan's tired eyes couldn't name any of them. "Can I do anything to help you? Or should I let you get back to your shower?"
"I think I'm on my way to the infirmary, so if you want to tell people that the entertainment will be passing through the main hub of the city at dinner time, that would be great," Evan said, unable to prevent his sarcastic words from tumbling out. "It won't come off," he added, gesturing needlessly to the mud that felt more and more stiff the longer he stood still.
"Have you got clean clothes in there somewhere?" David asked, pointing into Evan's quarters.
Evan frowned. "Well, yes, but I'm a little bit concerned that if I put clothes on, I won't be able to get them off again. Actually, I'm having that concern about this towel."
"Point me to where everything is," David said, reaching to pat a single clean spot on Evan's left shoulder before effortlessly slipping past him into Evan's quarters.
Since it would be more of an effort to fight with David, Evan directed him to where he could find clean clothes and a duffle bag, and five minutes later they were on their way through the back passages of the city. Evan found himself explaining all about how the natives had asked their spirits to bless him with the luck he deserved, and then the subsequent mess of events where absolutely nothing would go right, and how he was now a walking talking bad luck charm.
David laughed, but there wasn't any mockery or cruel amusement in it. "Evan, how many planets do you come back from where it's a miracle that you're still alive, or a miracle that Reed or Coughlin made it back with you? How many times does Sheppard have to send out a team to rescue you from captivity? I'm not saying that falling down a hill into a pit of mud-glue doesn't suck, but I'd say since you're alive, home, and with me, their spirits decided you deserve some pretty good luck."
Evan smiled for the first time in days, feeling the tension in his shoulders unwind. He didn't exactly believe in luck and spirits and karma, but he felt better knowing that David didn't think he was deserving of spirit-delivered bad luck. "I guess I am pretty lucky. Where are we going anyway?" he asked curiously as they turned another corner into a passage he didn't recognize.
"To the greenhouses. We look at a lot of plant properties and I can think of a few things that might take this stuff off without taking off your skin too. And if that doesn't work, at least everyone won't be in the central part of the city when we sneak you into the infirmary," David explained.
"I take that back," Evan said, wishing he could reach for David's hand without risking getting stuck to him. "I have the best luck."
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