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lavitanuovaThings That Only Happen in Kansas
Cameron/Vala
Rated R
Yes, it's also inspired by the episode Bounty. It was a missing scene from this that grew into a thing of its own.
"Vala, why do my parents think we're dating?" Cam corners her after dinner, crosses his arms and stares her down.
That stare would make a junior officer wet himself.
Vala just grins.
*
They're watching tv, his mom in the rocking chair with knitting spread out over her lap just like when he was a kid, dad in the easy chair with his foot propped up.
There are a few differences. Cam's got a beer in his hand, nice and cold going down, and his dad never would have allowed that when he was just a teenage punk. And Vala - Vala stretched out in pajamas, real ones this time, not the lingerie she likes to flaunt. Flannel pants and a worn t-shirt, her hair pulled back. She looks younger and older at the same time; more real and more vulnerable.
She's talking to his mother in a low voice, watching her hands work. Cam wouldn't be surprised if Vala's figured out how to knit a sweater by morning. She's sharp, she picks things up, she adapts. It's how she gets along. Cam knows, he notices, because that's how he gets along. He can't be the best or the smartest but he's got the big picture thing down. He knows where his team fits, even when they don't.
He knows where Vala fits.
*
The couch isn't just bad. It's awful. It's a medieval torture device.
It's not worth it.
At half past twelve he walks up the stairs, skips the fifth one from the top that creaks, pushes open the door to the guest room. It used to be his room, two decades and a few coats of paint later he doesn't really recognize much about it except that place where he punched the wall when he was seventeen and the corner of the bedpost that he carved his initials into. He can see it all in the moonlight, the window flung open and curtains pulled aside.
Vala must have done that. He knows his mother would never. He thinks about closing it, but the breeze is nice.
She's not a sprawler, like Cam might have guessed. He's seen her asleep before, but on missions, in sleeping bags, where there's no space for that. He would have imagined that she'd own a bed, claim it as her own, steal the covers like she steals baubles (without you even noticing). But she's not. she's curled up, wrapped around the pillow, her hair the only thing untamed.
She's awake, striking before he can pull back the covers. He grabs her wrist, reflexes quick. "Whoa there, tiger. It's just me."
"Mitchell?" She blinks at him, sleepy and wary, before things slot into place. "Well, someone's feeling brave. Or feeling-"
"Couch is uncomfortable. Move over." He says.
She does so, more obedient than he's ever seen her in waking hours.
He thinks she'll go right back to sleep, but she doesn't. She stays there with her eyes open wide, watching him. It's weird, intimate even though they aren't touching, sharing space. She dips her head briefly, eyes shutting, rubs her face against the pillow, and then looks back at him. "I really like your mother."
She sounds wistful, sad, un-Vala-like.
"She likes you, too." He says, wanting to offer her something.
"She likes that you have someone." Vala says. "That's why - I mean, not at first, it was just to see how angry you would get - but she's so... she wants you to not be lonely."
"I'm not lonely." He says, surprised.
"She wants grandchildren. She said, today - what lovely grandchildren we'll bring her." Vala smiles, that wistful touch back. He thinks about babies and the Ori and how he can't see her being a mom, but maybe what he can see doesn't matter so much. Her smile turns into a smirk, but it lacks bite. It's friendly, almost. "We would, you know. We're both rather attractive people."
He laughs, shifting onto his back, staring at the ceiling. "Yeah, well. Not really on my agenda."
"What is on your agenda?" She says, still watching him. Her hair is glossy in the moonlight, her skin almost glowing.
"Leading my team. Trying not to get killed. Trying not to get anyone killed." He says. When he opens his eyes again, she's smiling at him. He's not entirely sure why. "Goodnight, Vala."
"Goodnight, Cameron."
*
His father tries to have one of those talks.
"Think it's about time you settle down?" He says, tilting his head at Cam expectantly.
He thinks about what Vala said, about his mother.
It's not like he's never had a girlfriend. But he found it easy to set aside relationships in favor of a career. There's just always been more out there - more worth it. That bigger picture thing, it's a blessing and a curse.
He should really tell his dad that it isn't like that.
Instead, he just smiles and shrugs. "Never know."
"She's a good girl. Weird - very weird - but she's good. She's got a good heart."
"Dad, you just met her." Cam says, laughing.
"Yeah, but you didn't. You trust her enough to bring her home to meet your mom and I, that's good enough for me."
*
"She's just a friend."
He says it to Amy, because he's not thinking with his upstairs brain, and she looks really good in that dress. He's floating for a little while, hearing she's single, hearing her thing for him. It's a good feeling, takes him back.
And then there are aliens and fighting and an adrenaline rush and she's still looking so sweet and shy. It takes a while for all the NDA agreements to get signed and sorted, and it's past midnight when they all pile into a Rick Kenley's back yard, at least two dozen people not quite ready to call it a night.
"You two," Darryl says, shaking his head. "Accounts receivable, my ass. You know, everyone else here is two seconds away from wetting themselves, and you two look like you're having fun."
Vala's splayed across a couch, her feet draped over Cam's lap. Her dress is riding up halfway to being appropriate and he glares at Darryl every time he catches him staring. He's tempted to reach up and fix it himself, but the view isn't too bad.
There's a sense of weirdness coming at Cam from everyone except Vala, glances and funny looks and questions that he has to ignore. He's drenched in nostalgia and it hits him all of a sudden; his future, what it is and what it isn't, who it includes and who it doesn't. Who can keep up with him and who.... can't.
He's going to blame that on the fact that he ends up having sex with Vala. Rush, crash, boom, bang, naked fumblings up the stairs to his old bedroom, her voice so low and sexy right in his ear. She's game, she's always game. But it's more than that. It's the way her eyes go wide and her breath hitches when he pushes her against the wall beside his parents front door. He trusts that they're asleep, doesn't let himself worry too much about it. He crashes into her, hitches her thigh up against his hip and tries to ignore the ache in his bones from his old injuries.
"Quiet, quiet, gotta be quiet," He mumbles, fingers buried in her hair. She writhes against him, that sinful mouth open, teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she works for it, works to get them both there.
"I can be quiet, Mitchell." She laughs. "Can you?"
It's a challenge.
He grins.
Ten minutes later she's coming with her fist jammed into her mouth, her thighs jerking around his head. His mouth is sealed over her, tongue working diligently, drawing it out for her.
"Not bad." He says, moving back up her body.
"Not bad. I think I'll keep you, Mitchell." She's flushed and grinning.
"My turn?" She looks down at his cock and licks her lips, purpose clear when reaches out and strokes it. He groans, forehead against her shoulder.
He shakes his head. "No. Won't last."
"Been that long?" She tsks sympathetically.
He kisses her to shut her up, and it works.
Gotta remember that.
*
He can't convince her that pie for breakfast isn't a good idea. His mother doesn't even try, enjoying the chance to cook for a new and appreciate audience entirely too much.
"It's delicious," she says, waving the fork around temptingly. He's focused on his own eggs and bacon and toast, shoveling the deliciously salty food into his mouth. He'll be hitting the gym extra hard for the next week, but it's worth it for his momma's cooking.
"I know it is. And you better be saving me some for after lunch."
She shakes her head. "Mine. She made it for me."
He sticks his tongue out at her.
She sticks hers back out at him. It's purple.
"Children," his mother says, teasing and amused.
He thinks of what Vala said again, about how his mother thinks he needs someone.
He's pretty sure that if she knew half of what Vala had been up to in her life - well, actually, he's not sure, because he can't imagine his mother knowing all of that. He doesn't really want to.
He wants his mother to think he works on deep space radar technology in Colorado and doesn't visit often enough and has a girlfriend that's a little off beat but really loves her some pie. That's what will make his mother happy, and Cam loves his mother.
He's got plenty of time to figure out what will make him happy.
Continue: It's Often Said That Life is Strange
Cameron/Vala
Rated R
Yes, it's also inspired by the episode Bounty. It was a missing scene from this that grew into a thing of its own.
"Vala, why do my parents think we're dating?" Cam corners her after dinner, crosses his arms and stares her down.
That stare would make a junior officer wet himself.
Vala just grins.
*
They're watching tv, his mom in the rocking chair with knitting spread out over her lap just like when he was a kid, dad in the easy chair with his foot propped up.
There are a few differences. Cam's got a beer in his hand, nice and cold going down, and his dad never would have allowed that when he was just a teenage punk. And Vala - Vala stretched out in pajamas, real ones this time, not the lingerie she likes to flaunt. Flannel pants and a worn t-shirt, her hair pulled back. She looks younger and older at the same time; more real and more vulnerable.
She's talking to his mother in a low voice, watching her hands work. Cam wouldn't be surprised if Vala's figured out how to knit a sweater by morning. She's sharp, she picks things up, she adapts. It's how she gets along. Cam knows, he notices, because that's how he gets along. He can't be the best or the smartest but he's got the big picture thing down. He knows where his team fits, even when they don't.
He knows where Vala fits.
*
The couch isn't just bad. It's awful. It's a medieval torture device.
It's not worth it.
At half past twelve he walks up the stairs, skips the fifth one from the top that creaks, pushes open the door to the guest room. It used to be his room, two decades and a few coats of paint later he doesn't really recognize much about it except that place where he punched the wall when he was seventeen and the corner of the bedpost that he carved his initials into. He can see it all in the moonlight, the window flung open and curtains pulled aside.
Vala must have done that. He knows his mother would never. He thinks about closing it, but the breeze is nice.
She's not a sprawler, like Cam might have guessed. He's seen her asleep before, but on missions, in sleeping bags, where there's no space for that. He would have imagined that she'd own a bed, claim it as her own, steal the covers like she steals baubles (without you even noticing). But she's not. she's curled up, wrapped around the pillow, her hair the only thing untamed.
She's awake, striking before he can pull back the covers. He grabs her wrist, reflexes quick. "Whoa there, tiger. It's just me."
"Mitchell?" She blinks at him, sleepy and wary, before things slot into place. "Well, someone's feeling brave. Or feeling-"
"Couch is uncomfortable. Move over." He says.
She does so, more obedient than he's ever seen her in waking hours.
He thinks she'll go right back to sleep, but she doesn't. She stays there with her eyes open wide, watching him. It's weird, intimate even though they aren't touching, sharing space. She dips her head briefly, eyes shutting, rubs her face against the pillow, and then looks back at him. "I really like your mother."
She sounds wistful, sad, un-Vala-like.
"She likes you, too." He says, wanting to offer her something.
"She likes that you have someone." Vala says. "That's why - I mean, not at first, it was just to see how angry you would get - but she's so... she wants you to not be lonely."
"I'm not lonely." He says, surprised.
"She wants grandchildren. She said, today - what lovely grandchildren we'll bring her." Vala smiles, that wistful touch back. He thinks about babies and the Ori and how he can't see her being a mom, but maybe what he can see doesn't matter so much. Her smile turns into a smirk, but it lacks bite. It's friendly, almost. "We would, you know. We're both rather attractive people."
He laughs, shifting onto his back, staring at the ceiling. "Yeah, well. Not really on my agenda."
"What is on your agenda?" She says, still watching him. Her hair is glossy in the moonlight, her skin almost glowing.
"Leading my team. Trying not to get killed. Trying not to get anyone killed." He says. When he opens his eyes again, she's smiling at him. He's not entirely sure why. "Goodnight, Vala."
"Goodnight, Cameron."
*
His father tries to have one of those talks.
"Think it's about time you settle down?" He says, tilting his head at Cam expectantly.
He thinks about what Vala said, about his mother.
It's not like he's never had a girlfriend. But he found it easy to set aside relationships in favor of a career. There's just always been more out there - more worth it. That bigger picture thing, it's a blessing and a curse.
He should really tell his dad that it isn't like that.
Instead, he just smiles and shrugs. "Never know."
"She's a good girl. Weird - very weird - but she's good. She's got a good heart."
"Dad, you just met her." Cam says, laughing.
"Yeah, but you didn't. You trust her enough to bring her home to meet your mom and I, that's good enough for me."
*
"She's just a friend."
He says it to Amy, because he's not thinking with his upstairs brain, and she looks really good in that dress. He's floating for a little while, hearing she's single, hearing her thing for him. It's a good feeling, takes him back.
And then there are aliens and fighting and an adrenaline rush and she's still looking so sweet and shy. It takes a while for all the NDA agreements to get signed and sorted, and it's past midnight when they all pile into a Rick Kenley's back yard, at least two dozen people not quite ready to call it a night.
"You two," Darryl says, shaking his head. "Accounts receivable, my ass. You know, everyone else here is two seconds away from wetting themselves, and you two look like you're having fun."
Vala's splayed across a couch, her feet draped over Cam's lap. Her dress is riding up halfway to being appropriate and he glares at Darryl every time he catches him staring. He's tempted to reach up and fix it himself, but the view isn't too bad.
There's a sense of weirdness coming at Cam from everyone except Vala, glances and funny looks and questions that he has to ignore. He's drenched in nostalgia and it hits him all of a sudden; his future, what it is and what it isn't, who it includes and who it doesn't. Who can keep up with him and who.... can't.
He's going to blame that on the fact that he ends up having sex with Vala. Rush, crash, boom, bang, naked fumblings up the stairs to his old bedroom, her voice so low and sexy right in his ear. She's game, she's always game. But it's more than that. It's the way her eyes go wide and her breath hitches when he pushes her against the wall beside his parents front door. He trusts that they're asleep, doesn't let himself worry too much about it. He crashes into her, hitches her thigh up against his hip and tries to ignore the ache in his bones from his old injuries.
"Quiet, quiet, gotta be quiet," He mumbles, fingers buried in her hair. She writhes against him, that sinful mouth open, teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she works for it, works to get them both there.
"I can be quiet, Mitchell." She laughs. "Can you?"
It's a challenge.
He grins.
Ten minutes later she's coming with her fist jammed into her mouth, her thighs jerking around his head. His mouth is sealed over her, tongue working diligently, drawing it out for her.
"Not bad." He says, moving back up her body.
"Not bad. I think I'll keep you, Mitchell." She's flushed and grinning.
"My turn?" She looks down at his cock and licks her lips, purpose clear when reaches out and strokes it. He groans, forehead against her shoulder.
He shakes his head. "No. Won't last."
"Been that long?" She tsks sympathetically.
He kisses her to shut her up, and it works.
Gotta remember that.
*
He can't convince her that pie for breakfast isn't a good idea. His mother doesn't even try, enjoying the chance to cook for a new and appreciate audience entirely too much.
"It's delicious," she says, waving the fork around temptingly. He's focused on his own eggs and bacon and toast, shoveling the deliciously salty food into his mouth. He'll be hitting the gym extra hard for the next week, but it's worth it for his momma's cooking.
"I know it is. And you better be saving me some for after lunch."
She shakes her head. "Mine. She made it for me."
He sticks his tongue out at her.
She sticks hers back out at him. It's purple.
"Children," his mother says, teasing and amused.
He thinks of what Vala said again, about how his mother thinks he needs someone.
He's pretty sure that if she knew half of what Vala had been up to in her life - well, actually, he's not sure, because he can't imagine his mother knowing all of that. He doesn't really want to.
He wants his mother to think he works on deep space radar technology in Colorado and doesn't visit often enough and has a girlfriend that's a little off beat but really loves her some pie. That's what will make his mother happy, and Cam loves his mother.
He's got plenty of time to figure out what will make him happy.
Continue: It's Often Said That Life is Strange
