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David Parrish is utterly speechless for one of the only times in his life. But honestly, it's something that he should have seen from a mile away.
First it had been Elizabeth's insistence that David tag along when she'd assigned Major Evan Lorne, the man that David was privately yearning for, but could never have because of his Military background, to head to an offworld planet for an overnight trip to hunt a few birds. Atlantis was going to have a proper Thanksgiving dinner, and the birds were some of the last remaining necessities.
"But I don't know the first thing about hunting!" David had exclaimed, so Elizabeth rationalized that he could use the trip to learn something about the sport.
David finally decided that he would take advantage of his time on the planet to catalog new plant species, especially for ones that would make good protein supplements. Being cut off from Earth for as long as they had, they were doing more hunting and trading to make ends meet. But then it was Carson who had absconded with David's cataloging kit at the last minute, just as David and Evan were about to head through the wormhole. "What the-"
"Just enjoy yourself, lad," Carson had quietly said, tossing in a wink for some reason.
After the excursion, which turned into an overnight trip when Atlantis said they'd need to stay, but waffled on the reason, David figured that he was never going to get the image of Major Lorne stripping down to his boxers for a dip in a shallow pond. The sight was forever burned into his memory. When the time came that they could finally come back, they walked through the wormhole bound for Atlantis, and David had wondered which would fade first; the delectable images of Evan Lorne dripping wet as he emerged from the lake, or the erection that he'd been sporting for the last 36 hours. He wished he'd at least had his tablet to cover himself with, but the bagged carcass of a few smaller pea-hen like birds had to do.
Just when he didn't think it would get any worse, Doctor Biro accidentally (she adamantly maintain) locked Evan and David into one of the exam rooms - in just their boxers - as they waited for their exam. David spent almost the entire time averting his eyes, and holding his hands protectively over his crotch.
Then it was off to the showers; but for some perverse reason Cadman told them that the residential tower had been off limits, so they'd have to shower - together - in the locker room. And just two single, side-by-side showers had been left working for some reason, a shrugging McKay slinking out just after he had complained. Resigned to his fate, David made sure that his water flowed ice cold, and did what he could to only face the wall.
When they had finally been allowed to dress and head back to their separate rooms, David laid down on his bed, cursing his luck the last couple of days. But his time curled up in the fetal position was short lived, as his earwig had chirped with, "Kiang to Parrish."
"Parrish here," he'd responded. "What's up, Debs?"
"Movie night, my room. Fifteen minutes."
"Aww, Debs," he'd tried to object. "I just got-"
"Move it, Davey," she barks, then said, "Kiang out."
Movie night had turned into another one-on-one with the delectable Major Lorne, wearing a green sweater that brought out the his eyes. There was popcorn and a few DVDs, each one spilling over with suggestive content (just exactly where had Debs gotten the movie 'Querelle" and how did she expect that to be a team movie night option?), and a note saying that Deborah Kiang and Laura Cadman would, "Be right back! Pick a movie & start without us!" But that never happened, because Laura and Deborah had been nowhere to be found, and didn't respond to radio calls. David had been so tired that he'd sat down on the sofa with a heavy sigh. Evan had almost instantly stood up and picked out a movie, then put it on, sitting nearby and sharing the popcorn. But with as tired as David was, he'd barely stayed awake, all the while remaining hyper aware of the beautiful man sitting to his right, giving him his best puppydog eyes whenever David dared to glance over.
When the movie had finally finished, David and Evan had found themselves locked in Kiang's room and had to get Engineering to come by and let them out. As the door finally slid open, David looked up just in time to see Evan's almost pleading eyes before quickly walking away. "I'm in hell," he mutters as he makes his way out into the hallway.
"Still nothing," he had heard Laura Cadman asking Deborah Kiang, who shook her head, as he neared the pair. "Dangit, I knew we should have left out some of Radek's moonshine."
"Moonshine?" David had asked as he came up behind Cadman. "Why?"
Laura looked up at him and almost immediately went beet red. "Nothing," she replied, then turned on a heel, had quickly walked away. When he looked at Deb, she had been holding a blush and never meet his eyes.
The next morning was Thanksgiving, and David made himself scarce, staying in the greenhouse for most of the morning. It wasn't until his radio went off that he realized just how late it was. "Dinner's in ten minutes, Davey," he heard Laura Cadman's voice, but before he could respond, she'd closed the comm link.
David sighed and went to the sink to wash his hands, glad that his long sleeved shirt was turned up to his elbows since he'd spent so much time planting, trying to keep his mind off the last few days. He sighed and then headed to the Mess, stepping inside to find it made out more like a banquet hall than the usual setup. He walked around the table, looking for his place card when he heard someone say, "Excuse me, please." When he looked up, he'd found Miko Kusanagi, who quickly leaned over and grabbed the namecard for the seat next to him, then replacing it with that of Major Lorne.
That's when the pieces from the last few days had started to line up in his head. But before he could say anything, he heard someone stepping up behind him. When he turned, he found Laura Cadman approaching with two big goblets of a deep,red Athosian wine. "Uh, are you guys," he starts, but is quickly cut off by the Lieutenant.
David shakes his head, coming back to the moment.
"Take these," Cadman says, and then nods her head to a spot in the back. Following her gaze, David spots Major Evan Lorne sitting on a sofa at the back of the Mess, arms crossed and glaring down at his shoes. "He looks lonely, Davie. Why don't you go talk to him," she suggests, her unspoken message ringing loud and clear in his head.
He's surprised that he didn't figure it out sooner, and stands there speechless for several seconds. The hunting expedition, the showers, the movie night. It all suddenly made sense.
"Go," Laura adds with a wink and a nod. He looks up in time to see Debora Kiang, Katy Brown, and Miko standing in a corner, whispering to each other as they take turns sneaking looks at both him and the lonely Major.
When he finally finds his voice, David says, "Thank you. All of you," and then leans down and gives Laura a kiss on the cheek. He turns and heads to the back of the Mess where the Major sits, walking up to him slowly.
Immediately as he's noticed, the Major's demeanor changes. Arms come to his side, and a smile brighten's the Major's face, a twinkle from a nearby light catching the Major's eye. "David," Major Lorne says.
"Here," David says as he hands over the wine, then shifts uneasily on his feet. "Is this seat taken?" he asks as he goes to sit down, sitting when Evan gestures with his wine glass.
There's a quiet interlude where both Evan and David glance back and forth, smiling at each other as their eyes say what's in their hearts. "So," David says as he scoots a bit closer to Evan, laying his hand out on the small bit of fabric that separates them.
"So," Evan repeats, then drops his hand next to David's. Skin brushes against skin, and the two can't help but smile at each other again.
They sit there in silence, David's heart beating so fast that he's sure it's going to burst through his chest. He looks down at their hands, then lifts his, and slowly puts it down on the other side of Evan's, where they still for a moment before their fingers entwine almost automatically.
"Cool," he says, proud of himself at taking the first step.
Evan doesn't reply, though David can't look away from the man's expressive eyes as they convey an intense feeling of passion and desire; thoughts that can't be expressed with just words. So instead of waiting, David leans over and watches as Evan cocks his head to the side and his eyes flutter closed. The first kiss is warm and sweet, a hint of the wine lingering on Evan's lips. But if the first kiss pulled David in, the second one landed him firmly; a desperate tongue curling against his own, as fingers reach up to cup David's face, and David is certain that this is just a little bit of heaven right here.
When they finally break their kiss, David stands up and holds out a hand which Evan takes, and allows himself to be pulled into a standing position, though he's mostly leaning against David. "You want to get out of here?" he quietly asks, Evan's pleading eyes answering him instantly.
But before David can pull Evan through the Mess, Elizabeth comes out of the kitchen with people streaming behind her, loaded down with dishes. She looks over the room and announces, "Ladies and gentlemen! Dinner is served."
Someone clears their throat, and David follows the sound to find Deborah Kiang catching Elizabeth's eye and nodding her head back towards the new couple.
Elizabeth locks her eyes on David, who has Evan plastered against his side, and he can't help but lean into the arm that quickly wraps around his waist. "But if you prefer," Elizabeth says, never breaking her stance, "there will be plenty of leftovers for later." She gives him a wink, and then a nod.
David doesn't have to ask twice. He pulls Evan's hand into his, and they make their way out of the crowded mess, and off to the seclusion of the residential tower.