Title: Instead
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Characters: Daniel/Vala, hints (very slightly) at Cam/Vala
Prompt: #008 Dinner // #000 Unfair
Word Count: 288
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Summary: Daniel is busy when Vala comes to pick him up for a “date”.
Notes: Written for 25fluffyfics and daily15.

“But, Daniel!” Vala protested in a whiny voice. “You said you’d come!” Hands on her hips, she stared at him boldly, the glint in her eyes daring him to say otherwise. She moved closer to him and peered over his shoulder, rolling her eyes when she saw what he was reading and screwing up her face in mild annoyance.

“You’re not coming because you’d rather read about that?” she asked incredulously. Her question had its desired effect: Daniel finally answered her.

“I didn’t say that!” the archaeologist argued, not taking his eyes off the book in front of him despite the fact that he had quite obviously stopped reading it. “If you had been listening properly, you would know that I said ‘maybe’ I would come. ‘Maybe’ isn’t ‘yes’.”

He ignored the sharp prodding in his side that she gave him and continued to stare fixedly at his book. “I didn’t say that I wasn’t still coming, either,” he muttered under his breath.

Vala brightened at that. “So you are coming?” she asked excitedly.

Daniel sighed and flipping the book shut, turned to face her for the first time since she had arrived in his office that night. His eyes widened.

“Daniel?” Vala smirked. “Cat got your tongue?”

Daniel blinked a few times before he found his voice. “I’m coming,” he settled on, nodding dumbly.

Vala grinned and glanced down at the long black dress that she had purchased – with Daniel’s credit card, of course – to wear that night to dinner. “You like?” she teased.

Again, the only answer she received was a series of blinks and then a nod.

She grinned some more. “Good, because if you didn’t come tonight I was going to ask Mitchell instead!”