who pays attention to the syntax of things will never wholly kiss you
title: who pays attention to the syntax of things will never wholly kiss you
by: scarletts-awry
with: Laura Cadman/Elizabeth Weir
rated: R
herein: Laura would like to shake her, sometimes.
disclaim: I only own the dvds; everything belongs to Cooper, Mallozzi, et al
for: jacklemmon who asked for “the gentle sound of waves” or “she's your destination” - I had both in mind when I sat down to write, but the story took a bit of a left turn. I hope you enjoy it.
note: title from e.e. cummings
Laura’s always dreamed of the ocean, ever since the summer when she was twelve and her family vacationed in Florida for a week.
She dreams of the waves rolling into shore. She dreams of how the water can be both soft and hard, how it can ripple and crash. She dreams of floating.
Atlantis is beautiful; the only problem is that they live so high in the city that there’s no way to hear the roll of the waves below.
Elizabeth Weir is beautiful; the only problem is that this galaxy weighs on her like a stone she refuses to ever put down.
Laura would like to shake her sometimes, or kiss her, or throw her to the ground and tickle her breathless. But Laura doesn’t have that right.
…
It’s the asscrack of dawn, and the celebration is just winding down. By Laura’s definition, this means that the Athosians know how to throw a decent party. The stars are gradually fading into the purple sky. Laura sways a little as she looks up at them. She’s been dancing on and off with an Athosian man named Tamir, and he comes up beside her, spreading his palm at the small of her back.
“It’s the asscrack of dawn,” she tells him.
Tamir laughs, his eyes crinkling. “Then perhaps it’s time to lie down.”
“Perhaps it is,” Laura says, but she steps away from his hand. “I’m getting tired.” She smiles at him kindly and he nods.
“Rest well, Laura,” he says and leans in until their foreheads touch.
“Thank you.” Almost any other time she would have said yes to Tamir. He’s quick on his feet, and he has a nice laugh. But he’s not what she wants right now. She’s not sure what she wants, but there’s an itch just beneath her skin.
Tamir leaves, and Laura glances around the muted circle of people still gathered near the bonfire. Late into the night, the party had changed over from live music to an ipod and speakers someone had set up. A single Athosian girl is sitting near the speakers though. She’s playing a drum in accompaniment to some Middle Eastern dance music, and Laura stops to watch.
The girl can’t be much older than twenty. Her dark hair is pulled back into a messy bun, and as Laura watches some of it falls loose to curl around her breast. She’s absorbed in the rhythm of the music, her whole body moving in time. Her skin is a smooth shade of mocha and looks wonderfully soft, especially along the stretch from her throat to the swell of her breasts.
Laura blinks and feels a little stupid. She misses having sex with a woman, of course.
Laura watches the beautiful girl until the end of the song, then shakes her head a little and continues out of the circle around the fire. There are several communal areas set up for sleeping, all placed a reasonable distance away from the festivities, and Laura’s going to crash in the first one she finds.
Someone is hurrying to catch up with her, though, and Laura turns around, a little surprised to see Elizabeth looking flushed and a little breathless. It’s a good look on her.
“Are you going to lie down?” Elizabeth asks. “Because I think I need a place to lie down.”
“I am indeed, ma’am.”
“Oh, Laura, it’s Elizabeth tonight. Today.” Elizabeth grins and hooks their elbows together. Laura bites her lip to keep from giggling. Laura may have had one too many drinks; she may not have. Elizabeth definitely has. Laura wouldn’t have thought it possible, and it makes her stomach flutter.
They walk slowly, arm in arm.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” Elizabeth asks. “I thought the music was quite good. I saw you watching Allani play.”
“Yeah, she’s good. The Athosians sure can throw a party.” Laura maybe-not-accidentally bumps their shoulders together. The warmth of Elizabeth beside her is setting off a chain reaction throughout Laura’s body.
Elizabeth hums.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” Laura asks, pitching her voice low.
Elizabeth laughs. She has a good laugh, and it’s a shame Laura’s just finding that out. “I didn’t quite enjoy myself that much,” she says dryly.
“I’m sorry.” Laura bumps their shoulders together again.
“Did you?” Elizabeth asks. “Enjoy yourself?”
“I could’ve,” Laura says, “but he wasn’t quite what I wanted.”
“What did you want?” Elizabeth’s voice has gone soft, and Laura thinks this is one reason she’s a good leader. She’s genuinely interested in people.
“Well.” Laura sighs. “I’m not really allowed to tell you.”
“Oh.” Elizabeth is quiet for a moment. Their pace has slowed even further. “Did you know, the Athosians have a tradition where it’s good luck to kiss someone this morning as the sun rises? It’s not unlike kissing someone at midnight on New Year’s.”
“Do they now?” Laura stops walking altogether. “Is that a fascinating anthropological fact or a hint?”
“A little bit of both,” Elizabeth says. Her eyes are bright.
“Okay.” Laura knows she has a huge grin on her face, and she slides a hand up to Elizabeth’s neck.
Elizabeth’s lips are warm, and she tastes like alcohol and bitter chocolate. The Athosians have a desert like unsweetened fudge. Laura’s giddy to know that Elizabeth likes it, to know that Elizabeth is kissing back. Laura cups her face, adjusting the angle, determined to make this count. She teases Elizabeth with the tip of her tongue, and Elizabeth melts further into the kiss. It’s good, the press of lips, the slide of tongue.
Finally, Laura breaks away and kisses Elizabeth chastely, once, before stepping back.
“Thank you,” Elizabeth says and smiles at her simply, happily. Laura wonders what she was like when she was younger, when she didn’t have fate pressing down on her.
…
Back in Atlantis, everything goes back to normal, except now Laura is seized by the desire to shake, kiss, tickle Elizabeth even more than before.
On a Sunday, Laura tracks Elizabeth down and finds her on a secluded balcony drinking a cup of tea.
“Enjoying yourself?” Laura asks.
Elizabeth’s lips twitch. “Why yes I am, Lieutenant Cadman.”
“What happened to Laura? It is a Sunday.”
“Yes, it is,” Elizabeth says and looks back out over the ocean.
“Since it’s a Sunday, I thought we might enjoy ourselves together.” Laura moves closer. She can see the corner of Elizabeth’s smile.
“It’s a nice idea,” Elizabeth says, “but I don’t think it’s a good one.”
“What exactly is the difference?” Laura feels a little ill to her stomach but ignores it.
“The difference is that I can’t afford to get involved with anyone.” Elizabeth leans on the railing. Laura presses her lips together and walks over to stand beside Elizabeth. The sun shoots sparks off the water.
“With respect, ma’am,” Laura says. “That’s bullshit.”
“How so?” Elizabeth sounds amused, and Laura turns, leaning her hip against the railing.
“You can’t deny yourself the things that keep you alive, because you have to stay alive to help keep the rest of us alive.”
Elizabeth blinks a few times, frown lines creasing her mouth. “That’s an interesting way to put it.”
“And if you can’t get involved-”
“Why did we kiss?” Elizabeth’s smile is sad. “I’m sorry. Every once in a very blue moon I give myself a real, complete day off, and you were part of that little gift I gave to myself. I’m sorry, Laura.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Laura laughs and pulls Elizabeth to her. Elizabeth stiffens, but when Laura kisses her, she kisses back.
“Much better,” Laura murmurs. Elizabeth still looks conflicted, but she’s not pulling away.
“It’s not this simple, Laura.”
“Oh, I know how to be discreet,” Laura says. “I kinda have to be, don’t I?”
Elizabeth sighs against Laura’s lips. “I won’t say that I’m completely straight, but I haven’t done more than fool around with an old college roommate.”
Laura grins and kisses Elizabeth again. “Wonderful. We have to have sex now.”
Elizabeth laughs. Elizabeth should have the chance to laugh more often.
“We do,” Laura says. “I like men an awful lot, but there’s nothing more satisfying than making a woman come. You have to get right in there and- I want to go down on you. I’ll eat you out right here if you’ll let me.”
Elizabeth laughs again, but this time she sounds breathless. “Okay, you win.”
“Damn straight.” Laura slides her hands down to the small of Elizabeth’s back. “Or not straight, as the case may be.”
“But I’d rather have sex in bed,” Elizabeth says.
Laura pouts. “I guess.”
“You guess?” Elizabeth raises an eyebrow, then squeezes Laura’s ass, and this time it’s Laura that laughs.
…
In bed, Laura curls sleepily against Elizabeth, tangles their legs together, throws an arm around the slow rise and fall of Elizabeth’s belly. She listens to the steady sound of Elizabeth’s breathing and dreams of the sea.
by: scarletts-awry
with: Laura Cadman/Elizabeth Weir
rated: R
herein: Laura would like to shake her, sometimes.
disclaim: I only own the dvds; everything belongs to Cooper, Mallozzi, et al
for: jacklemmon who asked for “the gentle sound of waves” or “she's your destination” - I had both in mind when I sat down to write, but the story took a bit of a left turn. I hope you enjoy it.
note: title from e.e. cummings
Laura’s always dreamed of the ocean, ever since the summer when she was twelve and her family vacationed in Florida for a week.
She dreams of the waves rolling into shore. She dreams of how the water can be both soft and hard, how it can ripple and crash. She dreams of floating.
Atlantis is beautiful; the only problem is that they live so high in the city that there’s no way to hear the roll of the waves below.
Elizabeth Weir is beautiful; the only problem is that this galaxy weighs on her like a stone she refuses to ever put down.
Laura would like to shake her sometimes, or kiss her, or throw her to the ground and tickle her breathless. But Laura doesn’t have that right.
…
It’s the asscrack of dawn, and the celebration is just winding down. By Laura’s definition, this means that the Athosians know how to throw a decent party. The stars are gradually fading into the purple sky. Laura sways a little as she looks up at them. She’s been dancing on and off with an Athosian man named Tamir, and he comes up beside her, spreading his palm at the small of her back.
“It’s the asscrack of dawn,” she tells him.
Tamir laughs, his eyes crinkling. “Then perhaps it’s time to lie down.”
“Perhaps it is,” Laura says, but she steps away from his hand. “I’m getting tired.” She smiles at him kindly and he nods.
“Rest well, Laura,” he says and leans in until their foreheads touch.
“Thank you.” Almost any other time she would have said yes to Tamir. He’s quick on his feet, and he has a nice laugh. But he’s not what she wants right now. She’s not sure what she wants, but there’s an itch just beneath her skin.
Tamir leaves, and Laura glances around the muted circle of people still gathered near the bonfire. Late into the night, the party had changed over from live music to an ipod and speakers someone had set up. A single Athosian girl is sitting near the speakers though. She’s playing a drum in accompaniment to some Middle Eastern dance music, and Laura stops to watch.
The girl can’t be much older than twenty. Her dark hair is pulled back into a messy bun, and as Laura watches some of it falls loose to curl around her breast. She’s absorbed in the rhythm of the music, her whole body moving in time. Her skin is a smooth shade of mocha and looks wonderfully soft, especially along the stretch from her throat to the swell of her breasts.
Laura blinks and feels a little stupid. She misses having sex with a woman, of course.
Laura watches the beautiful girl until the end of the song, then shakes her head a little and continues out of the circle around the fire. There are several communal areas set up for sleeping, all placed a reasonable distance away from the festivities, and Laura’s going to crash in the first one she finds.
Someone is hurrying to catch up with her, though, and Laura turns around, a little surprised to see Elizabeth looking flushed and a little breathless. It’s a good look on her.
“Are you going to lie down?” Elizabeth asks. “Because I think I need a place to lie down.”
“I am indeed, ma’am.”
“Oh, Laura, it’s Elizabeth tonight. Today.” Elizabeth grins and hooks their elbows together. Laura bites her lip to keep from giggling. Laura may have had one too many drinks; she may not have. Elizabeth definitely has. Laura wouldn’t have thought it possible, and it makes her stomach flutter.
They walk slowly, arm in arm.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” Elizabeth asks. “I thought the music was quite good. I saw you watching Allani play.”
“Yeah, she’s good. The Athosians sure can throw a party.” Laura maybe-not-accidentally bumps their shoulders together. The warmth of Elizabeth beside her is setting off a chain reaction throughout Laura’s body.
Elizabeth hums.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” Laura asks, pitching her voice low.
Elizabeth laughs. She has a good laugh, and it’s a shame Laura’s just finding that out. “I didn’t quite enjoy myself that much,” she says dryly.
“I’m sorry.” Laura bumps their shoulders together again.
“Did you?” Elizabeth asks. “Enjoy yourself?”
“I could’ve,” Laura says, “but he wasn’t quite what I wanted.”
“What did you want?” Elizabeth’s voice has gone soft, and Laura thinks this is one reason she’s a good leader. She’s genuinely interested in people.
“Well.” Laura sighs. “I’m not really allowed to tell you.”
“Oh.” Elizabeth is quiet for a moment. Their pace has slowed even further. “Did you know, the Athosians have a tradition where it’s good luck to kiss someone this morning as the sun rises? It’s not unlike kissing someone at midnight on New Year’s.”
“Do they now?” Laura stops walking altogether. “Is that a fascinating anthropological fact or a hint?”
“A little bit of both,” Elizabeth says. Her eyes are bright.
“Okay.” Laura knows she has a huge grin on her face, and she slides a hand up to Elizabeth’s neck.
Elizabeth’s lips are warm, and she tastes like alcohol and bitter chocolate. The Athosians have a desert like unsweetened fudge. Laura’s giddy to know that Elizabeth likes it, to know that Elizabeth is kissing back. Laura cups her face, adjusting the angle, determined to make this count. She teases Elizabeth with the tip of her tongue, and Elizabeth melts further into the kiss. It’s good, the press of lips, the slide of tongue.
Finally, Laura breaks away and kisses Elizabeth chastely, once, before stepping back.
“Thank you,” Elizabeth says and smiles at her simply, happily. Laura wonders what she was like when she was younger, when she didn’t have fate pressing down on her.
…
Back in Atlantis, everything goes back to normal, except now Laura is seized by the desire to shake, kiss, tickle Elizabeth even more than before.
On a Sunday, Laura tracks Elizabeth down and finds her on a secluded balcony drinking a cup of tea.
“Enjoying yourself?” Laura asks.
Elizabeth’s lips twitch. “Why yes I am, Lieutenant Cadman.”
“What happened to Laura? It is a Sunday.”
“Yes, it is,” Elizabeth says and looks back out over the ocean.
“Since it’s a Sunday, I thought we might enjoy ourselves together.” Laura moves closer. She can see the corner of Elizabeth’s smile.
“It’s a nice idea,” Elizabeth says, “but I don’t think it’s a good one.”
“What exactly is the difference?” Laura feels a little ill to her stomach but ignores it.
“The difference is that I can’t afford to get involved with anyone.” Elizabeth leans on the railing. Laura presses her lips together and walks over to stand beside Elizabeth. The sun shoots sparks off the water.
“With respect, ma’am,” Laura says. “That’s bullshit.”
“How so?” Elizabeth sounds amused, and Laura turns, leaning her hip against the railing.
“You can’t deny yourself the things that keep you alive, because you have to stay alive to help keep the rest of us alive.”
Elizabeth blinks a few times, frown lines creasing her mouth. “That’s an interesting way to put it.”
“And if you can’t get involved-”
“Why did we kiss?” Elizabeth’s smile is sad. “I’m sorry. Every once in a very blue moon I give myself a real, complete day off, and you were part of that little gift I gave to myself. I’m sorry, Laura.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Laura laughs and pulls Elizabeth to her. Elizabeth stiffens, but when Laura kisses her, she kisses back.
“Much better,” Laura murmurs. Elizabeth still looks conflicted, but she’s not pulling away.
“It’s not this simple, Laura.”
“Oh, I know how to be discreet,” Laura says. “I kinda have to be, don’t I?”
Elizabeth sighs against Laura’s lips. “I won’t say that I’m completely straight, but I haven’t done more than fool around with an old college roommate.”
Laura grins and kisses Elizabeth again. “Wonderful. We have to have sex now.”
Elizabeth laughs. Elizabeth should have the chance to laugh more often.
“We do,” Laura says. “I like men an awful lot, but there’s nothing more satisfying than making a woman come. You have to get right in there and- I want to go down on you. I’ll eat you out right here if you’ll let me.”
Elizabeth laughs again, but this time she sounds breathless. “Okay, you win.”
“Damn straight.” Laura slides her hands down to the small of Elizabeth’s back. “Or not straight, as the case may be.”
“But I’d rather have sex in bed,” Elizabeth says.
Laura pouts. “I guess.”
“You guess?” Elizabeth raises an eyebrow, then squeezes Laura’s ass, and this time it’s Laura that laughs.
…
In bed, Laura curls sleepily against Elizabeth, tangles their legs together, throws an arm around the slow rise and fall of Elizabeth’s belly. She listens to the steady sound of Elizabeth’s breathing and dreams of the sea.