Work Text:
Better
He could barely remember the last time a woman walked into his life in a normal way. For ten plus years, he"d been put in bizarre situations on a daily basis, which included any woman he had the slightest interest in.
Daniel didn"t know why it would be any different with Vala.
The thieving space pirate had been completely unexpected, and he was in no way, shape, or form ready for the havoc she would bring to his life. They started out as some kind of nemesis…but yet not – something was always beneath the surface. Whatever you wanted to call it, they had a twisted relationship for sure. But it wasn"t long before she was his reluctant coworker, and not long after that, his friend. It stayed that way for a while. It was never a good time to contemplate anything more – the timing was always wrong because of the war with the Ori.
But that didn"t stop him from developing feelings for her until she became more than just his friend – and he never did a thing about it. He"d never been lucky when it came to love. Finding it had never been the problem, but as everyone well knew, his relationships never ended well. Why would it be different with Vala? Especially when his feelings or even their relationship was completely opposite of what it"d been with Sha"re? But then she"d do something so completely Vala and he fell for her all over again, making him wonder why he didn"t at least give them a shot.
But then one day, he realized something.
He spent so long comparing her, their relationship (or lack thereof), and his own feelings towards her with Sha"re that he completely missed the fact that it didn"t have to be the same. It all clicked one day when Vala said something – did something so thoughtful, he couldn"t couldn"t contain his feelings, and that"s when he knew.
It was a different kind of love.
It couldn"t be the same as it was with Sha"re because he was no longer the same. He"d been to hell (and maybe way past it) and back. He wasn"t naive anymore. He wasn"t as idealistic as he used to be. He became more hardened and mature over the years. Of course he wouldn"t be able to love in the same way – he wasn"t the same man anymore.
And she made him better.
He"d become so cynical, snippy, and impatient but since Vala came into his life, he"d gotten better – slowly, but it was still progress. He had been content with life for so long, he"d forgotten what it felt like to be genuinely happy or experience actual joy in his life. The extent of it somewhat scared him. This kind of love could be terrifying…but it also could be the start of something amazing – a love that would only get better.
Daniel really wanted that with her.
"You okay over there? You"ve been staring at the same page for the last ten minutes."
o0o
Daniel jumped in his seat as if she snuck up behind him and went "Boo!" She snickered at his reaction. "What"s got you all jumpy?" she asked in a teasing tone.
She expected his usual retort or some snarky remark, but instead, his face was completely somber. "Vala, what"re we doing?"
Her eyebrows went up at the question. "I don"t know about you, but I"m working," she quipped, not really sure what to make of his peculiar behavior.
Daniel shook his head immediately. "No. No, I mean…I mean about this ," he gestured between the two of them.
Vala blinked. She struggled for a reply. "I-I didn"t know there was anything to do about… this ." She repeated his gesture.
"And why not?" he asked expectantly.
She wasn"t an idiot. She knew there was something between them for the past year, and as much as she"d like to explore whatever it was, she wouldn"t allow herself to. "Because it wouldn"t be a good idea."
" Why ?"
Vala started to respond but couldn"t get the words out at first. She didn"t know what brought this on, but she needed to put an end to it before it was too late. "Because if we do this and it doesn"t work, I"ll have lost the most important relationship in my entire life – the most important person I"ve ever met . It"s not worth the risk."
The way he stared at her, she knew she made him recognize the danger of what could potentially happen. "Unless it is," he said it tentatively as if she"d spook and run away. "And I think it is."
Well, when he said it like that with so much confidence, how could she not believe him? "And if you"re wrong?"
Daniel shrugged helplessly. "Then at least we tried." He shuffled closer to her. "No matter what happens, you"ll never lose me. Vala, as crazy as it sounds, you"re a major part of my life. More than that, you make me better and happy , and I don"t wanna lose that or you."
Now he was just starting to sound cocky. "You make me better too," she confessed in a hushed tone. "I"m scared, Daniel."
He was suddenly in front of her. "I know. I am too," he confided. He took a deep breath before asking, "Vala, would you like to grab dinner sometime."
Her breath hitched. She hadn"t realized how long she"d been wanting him to ask. "Are you sure?"
He held her gaze and didn"t hesitate for a second. "More than I have been about anything in a long time," he said vehemently. "Do you wanna go on a date with me? A real one?"
Against her will, Vala found herself smiling. "Yeah, I do," she said softly.
Daniel"s face broke out into a large grin, and they both stayed there for a while, smiling at each other like a pair of idiots, before eventually getting back to work.
Vala stole glances at him as they worked in relative silence. She"d loved men in the past before, but never like this – never the way she loved Daniel.
It was a different love with him. A better one.
The End.