Fic (Stargateland): Pinch Me, I'm Dreaming (Parrish/Lorne)
Pinch Me, I'm Dreaming - Stargate Atlantis - Evan Lorne/David Parrish - Words: 900
Written for Stargateland's prompt challenge. Prompt 2: Steal.
Summary: All they can do is be there for each other.
Content Notes: Psychological torture, captivity, and disturbing imagery. PG-13.
On AO3: Pinch Me, I'm Dreaming
On DW: Pinch Me, I'm Dreaming
The piercing sound of an alarm jolted Evan out of his near day dream. The sound seemed almost deafening and Evan's hands shook as he instinctively grabbed David's shoulders. The alarm stopped as soon as David's eyes opened.
"Sorry, sorry," David said, his voice rough.
Evan couldn't tell if his hands were still shaking or if he was feeling David trembling. "It's okay," he mumbled as he helped David sit up.
David shook his head and leaned forward until he had propped his head in his hands.
Clumsily Evan raised his wrist and squinted at his watch. They'd been prisoners for going on sixty two hours now. Which meant - Evan paused as his brain struggled to add the numbers - they'd been awake for more than seventy hours straight. He wasn't sure how their captors were monitoring them. He and David could lay down and be still and silent with no consequences, but as soon as one of them fell asleep the alarm would go off until they were both awake once more.
"Can people die from sleep deprivation?" David asked.
Evan dragged himself from the nest of cushions and blankets they'd piled together in the center of the small room and retrieved the pitcher of water that had been placed inside the room a few hours earlier. He ignored the platter with food for the time being, he wasn't particularly hungry and the food wasn't particularly appetizing to them anyway. They should eat while they could, he knew that, but it was getting harder to do what was right.
"Maybe, I'm not sure," Evan finally answered. He handed one small cup to David and took one for himself. He thought that the answer was probably yes, he vaguely recalled reading about sleep deprivation studies but he didn't really remember what the conclusion had been. "We'll be out of here before we have to find out."
"Because Sheppard and the marines are going to come. Maybe Coughlin and Reed got away. Or maybe they're looking for us right now," David said, his words fading as he sipped at the water.
Evan nodded. They'd told each other over and over that they would be rescued soon. This wouldn't be the first time a team from Atlantis had been taken, stolen really, and John Sheppard was absolutely dedicated to saving his people. John never gave up on any of them, even when reason and logic dictated that he should. Evan had been part of many rescue teams searching world after world for expedition members who'd been taken. They always made it clear that stealing people from Atlantis was not worth the price, not ever. Apparently word of that hadn't reached this planet yet.
David set aside his cup and moved towards Evan with an outstretched hand. For the first thirty hours or so after being captured they had done everything they could to pretend that they weren't in a relationship. They hadn't wanted to give their captures any more leverage than they already had. Eventually, when they realized that whatever these people weren't going to come in the room or change their tactics, Evan had settled himself with David in the nest they'd built and set his mind to waiting it out for as long as it took for a rescue team to find them.
"Stay there," Evan said, motioning David back into the blankets. He took one last sip of the water and then crawled back in. The room wasn't really that cold but Evan felt chilled anyway. He took one of the blankets they'd set around the edges and shook it out before climbing in next to David and covering them both.
David leaned his head on Evan's shoulder and Evan shifted them until he had an arm wrapped around David.
"I used to have the weirdest nightmares when I was a kid," Evan said after what seemed like a long silence. It could have been minutes or maybe more than an hour, he wasn't really sure and looking at his watch seemed like too much effort. His mouth felt dry again and he swallowed and licked his lips before continuing. "At the zoo they had sharks. And they had this case with all these chewed up things in it. There was this doll, naked and filled with holes and the face was half gone. The sign said that they were items that people had dropped into the sharks tank. I think they were just trying to say, don't hold things out over the tank in case they fall in, but for some reason my mind interpreted it as they hurt people who accidentally dropped those things in the tank. I was afraid to go near the edge, even though I wasn't holding anything. For some reason I dreamt about that for years and years afterwards."
David tightened his grip on Evan and leaned down so that his face was pressed against Evan's chest. "Don't think right now, okay? Just stay here with me. Sheppard and everyone will be getting close. They'll be here soon."
Evan nodded and held David close. He blinked several times as he tried to clear his vision a little better. David's chest rose and fell against his and Evan concentrated on matching the steady rhythm. There was nothing more he could do other than breathe and try to stay awake for as long as he could.
Written for Stargateland's prompt challenge. Prompt 2: Steal.
Summary: All they can do is be there for each other.
Content Notes: Psychological torture, captivity, and disturbing imagery. PG-13.
On AO3: Pinch Me, I'm Dreaming
On DW: Pinch Me, I'm Dreaming
The piercing sound of an alarm jolted Evan out of his near day dream. The sound seemed almost deafening and Evan's hands shook as he instinctively grabbed David's shoulders. The alarm stopped as soon as David's eyes opened.
"Sorry, sorry," David said, his voice rough.
Evan couldn't tell if his hands were still shaking or if he was feeling David trembling. "It's okay," he mumbled as he helped David sit up.
David shook his head and leaned forward until he had propped his head in his hands.
Clumsily Evan raised his wrist and squinted at his watch. They'd been prisoners for going on sixty two hours now. Which meant - Evan paused as his brain struggled to add the numbers - they'd been awake for more than seventy hours straight. He wasn't sure how their captors were monitoring them. He and David could lay down and be still and silent with no consequences, but as soon as one of them fell asleep the alarm would go off until they were both awake once more.
"Can people die from sleep deprivation?" David asked.
Evan dragged himself from the nest of cushions and blankets they'd piled together in the center of the small room and retrieved the pitcher of water that had been placed inside the room a few hours earlier. He ignored the platter with food for the time being, he wasn't particularly hungry and the food wasn't particularly appetizing to them anyway. They should eat while they could, he knew that, but it was getting harder to do what was right.
"Maybe, I'm not sure," Evan finally answered. He handed one small cup to David and took one for himself. He thought that the answer was probably yes, he vaguely recalled reading about sleep deprivation studies but he didn't really remember what the conclusion had been. "We'll be out of here before we have to find out."
"Because Sheppard and the marines are going to come. Maybe Coughlin and Reed got away. Or maybe they're looking for us right now," David said, his words fading as he sipped at the water.
Evan nodded. They'd told each other over and over that they would be rescued soon. This wouldn't be the first time a team from Atlantis had been taken, stolen really, and John Sheppard was absolutely dedicated to saving his people. John never gave up on any of them, even when reason and logic dictated that he should. Evan had been part of many rescue teams searching world after world for expedition members who'd been taken. They always made it clear that stealing people from Atlantis was not worth the price, not ever. Apparently word of that hadn't reached this planet yet.
David set aside his cup and moved towards Evan with an outstretched hand. For the first thirty hours or so after being captured they had done everything they could to pretend that they weren't in a relationship. They hadn't wanted to give their captures any more leverage than they already had. Eventually, when they realized that whatever these people weren't going to come in the room or change their tactics, Evan had settled himself with David in the nest they'd built and set his mind to waiting it out for as long as it took for a rescue team to find them.
"Stay there," Evan said, motioning David back into the blankets. He took one last sip of the water and then crawled back in. The room wasn't really that cold but Evan felt chilled anyway. He took one of the blankets they'd set around the edges and shook it out before climbing in next to David and covering them both.
David leaned his head on Evan's shoulder and Evan shifted them until he had an arm wrapped around David.
"I used to have the weirdest nightmares when I was a kid," Evan said after what seemed like a long silence. It could have been minutes or maybe more than an hour, he wasn't really sure and looking at his watch seemed like too much effort. His mouth felt dry again and he swallowed and licked his lips before continuing. "At the zoo they had sharks. And they had this case with all these chewed up things in it. There was this doll, naked and filled with holes and the face was half gone. The sign said that they were items that people had dropped into the sharks tank. I think they were just trying to say, don't hold things out over the tank in case they fall in, but for some reason my mind interpreted it as they hurt people who accidentally dropped those things in the tank. I was afraid to go near the edge, even though I wasn't holding anything. For some reason I dreamt about that for years and years afterwards."
David tightened his grip on Evan and leaned down so that his face was pressed against Evan's chest. "Don't think right now, okay? Just stay here with me. Sheppard and everyone will be getting close. They'll be here soon."
Evan nodded and held David close. He blinked several times as he tried to clear his vision a little better. David's chest rose and fell against his and Evan concentrated on matching the steady rhythm. There was nothing more he could do other than breathe and try to stay awake for as long as he could.