Prompt 136.02

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Five things Lorne pretended not to see


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Five things Lorne pretended not to see

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1. In his early days at the SGC, Lorne walked around a corner just in time to witness Colonel O'Neill yelling at General Hammond, and General Hammond yelling right back at O’Neill. With the reflexes that had gotten him into flight school, Lorne pivoted on his heel and double-timed it back the way he'd come. He never mentioned the fight to anyone, especially Doctor Jackson, whose name he overheard as he retreated down the corridor, and neither Colonel O'Neill nor General Hammond ever mentioned it to him, though he was sure both must have seen him.

2. The mission to Xperiul was a disaster from beginning to end. Lorne knew they needed the alliance, and he knew the timing was such that they couldn’t wait for Sheppard to get out of the infirmary, and he knew why Sheppard had chosen him to accompany Teyla, McKay, and Ronon when it became clear that Sheppard himself couldn’t go. None of that knowledge made it any more comfortable to be on a mission with Sheppard’s team and no Sheppard. And none of it helped him cope when McKay unexpectedly reacted to somethingin the ritual feast by hallucinating. Vividly.

Lorne and Teyla were left to smooth things over with their hosts while Ronon escorted McKay back to the shuttle. Fortunately, Ronon had McKay mostly out of the village and out of sight before McKay finished stripping off his clothing, which made it possible for Lorne to pretend he hadn’t seen McKay naked and shivering and trying to coat himself in the green paint that he’d somehow acquired in the Xperiul village.

3. Lorne often patrolled Atlantis at night, if he happened to be up for one reason or another. Sometimes he ran into Sheppard and they'd nod and pass each other, or comment if there was news to be shared. Occasionally he ran into someone else, and he'd listen or talk or sit quietly or continue on his way as needed. When he saw Doctor Weir's office lights on, he'd usually go up with a cup of Athosian tea and say hello. One night he got as far as peeking into the door, mug in hand, when he realized she was hunched over her desk, shoulders shaking. He thought about going inside, weighing what he knew of her, and then--feeling just a little like a coward--he crept quietly away and left her to her privacy.

4. Sheppard bent the rules. A lot. Lorne had been warned of that going in, and he knew there was some expectation that he’d put an end to it. That he was being assigned in part to keep Sheppard on a leash. The truth was, however, that his time at the SGC had taught Lorne about the value of the creative approach and as often as not, he sympathized with Sheppard’s goals. Which is why, while Lorne tried to persuade Sheppard to go through channels when practical (usually by doing the paperwork himself), he also developed a highly sophisticated selective vision when it came to Sheppard’s activities. There were some things he just didn’t need to see.

5. It was Sheppard's balcony and Lorne knew that, but he'd assumed that with Sheppard busy playing host to SG-1, he wouldn't have time to hang out there, and Lorne really needed a break.

His mouth had actually fallen open when he'd seen who it was that Sheppard was kissing. He backed out of there as quickly as he could. When Sheppard, diffident and awkward, hinted around it later, Lorne refused to admit he'd even been there.

[onebadcat.livejournal.com]

Awesome.

Absolutely, literally, definitely full of awe :D

This rocks my socks :)