peacefulexplorer: (Flashback | Floppy | geek)
Daniel Jackson ([personal profile] peacefulexplorer) wrote in [community profile] applesaucedream2014-11-11 02:52 pm

Blessed are the vagrant, lonely are the static ones [closed]

Loose change can only take one so far in terms of public transport and it's well past noon and Daniel hasn't even eaten today, so he elects to walk even if it is, as his luck would have it, raining very heavily. The present downpour is a great deal more copious than is fair considering the streak of abysmal events that have led him along to this unremarkable moment in his life.

In an effort to avoid the downpour he ducks into the closest establishment he can find, a cramped-looking café or deli sort of place that probably doesn't appreciate him dripping all over the faded blue tile floors and maneuvering awkwardly around the tables so he can get to the farthest, most out-of-the-way corner booth he can find. Shaking wet hair from his eyes, he shoves his two bags beneath it with less care than is really warranted. Both bags are already battered and falling apart at the corners enough, and they hold every possession Daniel has left in the world.

The sole barista at the counter doesn't look happy to (a) be maintaining an almost empty establishment on a spectacularly rainy late afternoon or (b) have to deal with the colony of puddles steadily collecting beneath Daniel's table as he hunches his shoulders and tries to count out his change to see if he has enough to avoid being thrown out for loitering. It's not looking optimistic. He wilts a little at the realization and shoots a nervous glance at the barista who has ceased her mechanical wiping of the countertop to level a simmering glower at him, fingers drumming, silently daring Daniel to think of a reason for why he should be the least bit welcome here. At the present moment, he's coming up empty. He swallows hard and returns to recounting his change in the blind hope that he's miscalculated.

Five minutes and seven recounts later, Daniel deposits the change onto the booth table with a shower of wet clinks and stares at the little pile of coins miserably. Ladies and gentlemen, we present to the board Dr. Daniel Jackson, thirty-one and already the archaeological hack of the decade, homeless and in debt and probably about to get thrown back out into the rain very soon on account of him being unable to afford even a cup of coffee to alleviate the pounding headache drilling itself into the center of his forehead.
powerdealer: (92)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-13 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
"It's no problem, really," he assures him, dropping down onto the couch at last. "Besides, my plans for the day got spoiled by the rain. Nice to get something useful done, and stop me from sitting here on me own."

Besides, Daniel is really - well, as jarring as it might seem compared to his height and the broadness of his shoulders, Daniel is, well, cute. If all he'd seen of him was him in the bathroom earlier, he might've described him as right fit, but with his mild-mannered and gentle attitude, not to mention his self-consciousness, there's really no other way to describe him at the moment.
powerdealer: (45)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-13 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
Seth smiles, almost a little sad. He seems so entirely unused to being helped, to something actually going right, and Seth is intimately familiar with what that's like. And Daniel just seems like a guy who deserves so much more. Not that Seth can really know that, but he usually trusts his gut with these things, and Daniel's given him no reason to think otherwise. He's definitely not regretting helping him.

"I'm glad," he answers, more softly than he intended to. He clears his throat a little, somewhat awkwardly. "So. What's your story, Daniel Jackson?" he asks, one arm leaned on the back of the couch, taking a sip of his coffee.
powerdealer: (99)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-13 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
"You're an archeologist?" Seth asks in surprise, lowering his cup a little. "Don't you need like.. lots of degrees for that or something?"

That's not exactly what he would've pegged him for. Not that he really has any idea what exactly he would've pegged him for. Sure, there's definitely a certain nerdiness there, Seth just... wouldn't imagine someone that well educated to be wandering the streets homelessly. He's always had the impression that those who've actually had access to that kind of education and prospects don't end up with the kind of lives Seth and his mates live.

"Sorry, I mean... That sucks," he adds awkwardly, realising that probably wasn't the most sensitive way to respond.
powerdealer: (56)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-13 06:02 am (UTC)(link)
Seth kind of feels like he's put his foot in it, but he doesn't even have time to be embarrassed, because he's too busy with feeling the sharp jab of sympathy for Daniel.

Even with his mam always working, he's always known she'd be there someone who'd be there if things got too bad. Just some small sense of security. Hell, his dad's still alive, Seth knows how to find him even if they haven't really spoken in years. If things were that desperate, he could've surely guilted something out of him.

He doesn't know what to say, because even if Seth is familiar with what it's like to be broke and homeless and with no prospects, he doesn't think he's ever had it that bad, to be so alone. There's just no way to offer proper sympathies for that, and Daniel doesn't exactly look like he'd be comfortable talking about it to a near stranger.

"Stay here tonight," he says suddenly, saying fuck it to the idea of finding a way to work that in smoothly. "You can have the couch. I'll order in some food. And I won't take no for an answer."
powerdealer: (43)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-13 07:17 am (UTC)(link)
"But I want to," he answers immediately, honestly. That should be reason enough, shouldn't it? Seth avoids doing anything he doesn't want to, he's not the sort to let himself be bullied into anything. If he helps someone out, it's because he genuinely feels like they deserve it, that it's worth his time. And he definitely feels that with Daniel. He wishes that Daniel wouldn't have to feel like he's putting Seth out, like he somehow has to earn his stay or that he's undeserving or just having someone do him a favour.

But Seth can't really do anything about that, so all he can do is insist on letting Daniel help him, and that will have to be enough. Seth doesn't have that much to give, but when you've got nothing, a little goes a long way.

"Which reminds me, I'm getting hungry," he powers on, setting down the mug and leaning over to a side table to fish out a small stack of menus of nearby places that deliver. "Do you like Thai?"
powerdealer: (28)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-13 08:30 am (UTC)(link)
Seth grabs his phone and calls up one of the local places, ordering them both some food. He gets Daniel some basic, unintimidating chicken curry in case he's not used to that kind of food, giving him a look to make sure that sounds alright, before hanging up again.

"Food's on its way," he says, perhaps unnecessarily. Even if he already feels pretty familiar and comfortable with Daniel, he doesn't really know what to talk about. He could ask more about his past, about his work, about what kind of ridiculous theories it is he's been having, but he doesn't want to dig into anything painful.
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[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-13 02:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Seth slowly starts to worry about the mug in Daniel's hands, but then Daniel seems to realise what he's doing. He also seems to realise that some of the burden of conversation has fallen to him, since Seth is worried about saying the wrong thing. And then when he's asked about himself, Seth still isn't sure what to say.

"I dunno," he answers, giving a half shrug. "Not much to say. Live here. Workin at the supermarket. No degrees, that's for sure, no A-levels neither." He doesn't quite manage to be unashamed of this, but he does a decent job pretending to be. There are certain things he refuses to let anyone judge him for. What else is there to say?

"Go out with mates sometimes, or we go see a concert. No girlfriend," he continues, and only hesitates for second or two before finishes with, "or boyfriend." He sounds and looks casual, but he's gauging Daniel's reaction intently.
powerdealer: (68)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-13 10:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, that could've gone a lot worse, but it also could've gone better. Complete lack of notice probably means Daniel doesn't consider it noteworthy. Which, sure, is great if Seth's only looking to be accepted and open about it, but not as helpful in determining whether Daniel has any interest of his own. Seth feels like he would've at least acknowledged it with a lot or something had that been the case. Then again, Daniel seems to have a lot on his mind, understandably so. And given his current complete lack of self-esteem as far as Seth can tell, perhaps he doesn't consider anything like that relevant or even a remote possibility.

Seth's not interested in a pity parade either, not because he doesn't have sympathy for Daniel - because he does, in buckets. But he'd much rather see him smile. Distract him from even needing the pity.

He lets his arm that's on the back of the couch fall over to put a hand gently on Daniel's shoulder, to get him to look up at him. "I don't despise you," he says with a small smile.
powerdealer: (45)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-14 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
Seth's smile widens a little upon having it returned, and since Daniel seemed to react positively to the touch once he'd gotten over the surprise, Seth just leaves his hand lying there for now. He has a feeling Daniel doesn't get a lot of friendly touches, if he can barely get any reasonably friendly conversation.

"I mean, I know I only just met you," he continues quietly, his smile getting a joking quality, but kindly so, almost affectionately. "But I think I would even go as far as to say I like you."
powerdealer: (4 | Smile | Happy | Puppy)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-14 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
"Well," Seth answers, his smile becoming an actual grin by now. "I mean, it's only a theory. I'd have to do some research to confirm it."

Is he being obvious? He's pretty sure he's being obvious, but Daniel is reciprocating, Daniel's got his hand on Seth's, and it's warm now, not cold like when Seth helped him to his feet. And he is looking at him with those ridiculously blue eyes and smiling, finally actually smiling, and his still somewhat damp hair falling slightly in front of his face. It's very difficult to focus on anything else at the moment.
powerdealer: (82)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-14 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
Daniel isn't saying anything - well, Daniel isn't saying any words, and Seth is a little bit worried, just a little worry mixed in with the smiling and the thrill and the beating of his heart which has suddenly gotten a lot louder without him noticing until just now.

And Daniel swallows, and Seth's eyes are drawn to the way his Adam's apple bobs in his throat, and he feels hyper-aware of everything, the feeling on Daniel's hand on his, his soft hands obviously primarily used for sifting through books and papers.

The lashes of Daniel's currently wide eyes.

The softness of his lips currently slightly parted in confusion and surprise.

And Seth is worried that he's pushing too quickly, that Daniel's surprise is not positive and that his advances are unwanted, that the gears are still working in his mind, except they're just staring at each other by now, and Daniel is still holding onto his hand, he could've let go at any time, and then he makes that noise, and.

And Seth leans over.

Not too quickly. Just. Closing the distance. His eyes jumping between Daniel's eyes and his mouth, making his intentions clear, giving Daniel plenty of time to pull away, plenty of time to make it clear if this isn't what he wants, and God it is taking forever, his heart is beating so loudly and it is taking aeons, it is taking forever before Seth can finally kiss him.
powerdealer: (47)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-14 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
Seth doesn't realise just how tense and tightly wound he was until their mouths finally connect, and Daniel is kissing back, Daniel is most definitely kissing back and Seth can just feel all the worry and the tension drain out from his shoulders and his neck, especially his neck because Daniel has just put his hand there.

He rests his own free hand on Daniel's chest, and he's so excited he has to make himself take it slow, to take his time and enjoy it, because he can actually tell Daniel is inexperienced and unsure about this, and Seth doesn't want to overwhelm him, Seth wants to make sure he is along for the ride. And Daniel definitely is, he seems to be, because he may fumble a bit but it's sincere, it's so obvious now that they're both enjoying it, and Seth is so relieved and so excited.

And Seth was right, Daniel's lips are very soft, like they were made to be kissed, and how on earth could Daniel be inexperienced, why hasn't anyone else taken the chance to do this. He pulls apart just a little bit, having to remind himself to breathe, and he realises he's smiling, and he opens his eyes a little as he leans his forehead against Daniel's for a moment, making his glasses askew because they haven't gotten far enough to take them off, and Seth reaches up behind Daniel's head to weave his fingers lightly into his damp hair.
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[personal profile] powerdealer 2014-11-14 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah," Seth echoes, no idea what that even means, but he doesn't overly care, and he suspects Daniel doesn't know nor care either. It doesn't seem important. Nothing outside the confines of this couch seems important at the moment.

Seth leans back a little, only a little bit so he can look at Daniel, and he smiles a little self-consciously. He lifts his hand - the hand that's been on Daniel's shoulder this entire time, their first point of contact, of comfort and reciprocation - and reaches up to adjust his glasses a little, before it comes to a rest against Daniel's cheek, and Seth is just smiling and looking at him again, because he can't seem to stop that.

And then his heart decides to jump into his throat.

The shrill sound of the doorbell, very loud and very intruding and currently very unwanted rings through the little room, and Seth feels as if he jumped about mile even if all he did was jerk back a little.

"The food," he realises out loud, and his voice sounds suddenly strange and foreign, and he doesn't want to, but with a nervous smile he gets to his feet to go answer the door.

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