Disclaimer - MGM/Gekko/Double Secret own them.
Sam/Jack UST. Suitable for all. Set season six, but no spoilers. Wrote this a while ago, but only got around to posting it now...haven't been much inspired to write or read anything lately.
*
Here's a little something they should teach every kid at the Academy:
Never trust anyone. Ever.
That includes the people you work with. Your pals, your buddies - your team mates.
You see friends - real, honest to God friends - wouldn't throw a surprise party for you when they know you hate having anything fancy done.
It's not that you don't like birthdays, or that you're bothered about being another year older (though your knees certainly keep objecting); it's just that big, overwhelming, loud parties are just...not your thing.
You don't care if they claim that it's as much as for Jonas' benefit as for yours (uh huh) because he's never been to one of these things before; all that matters is that there's a punch bowl in your house.
You're not a punch bowl person. Funerals, wakes; they're acceptable there. But for any other reason? No way. You're a beer kind of guy. Nothing fruity, nothing exotic. Beer, plain and simple. American, preferably.
And then there's the dancing. People. Dancing. There's absolutely nothing in your contract that says you have to endure the sight of the people you work with doing something so completely terrifying. Quite frankly, certain people from the base should be banned from dancing forever, contortionist or no.
It's not like you can even extricate yourself from the spectacle of people doing things they're going to regret tomorrow, or of Cassie trying to convince you to dance (HA!), because - ohhhhhh yes - you're the guest of honour, aren't you? It's expected that you stay for the entire damn evening, as if the fact that your idea of a perfect birthday is to sit around with your closest friends, talking and drinking occasionally means absolutely nothing.
But eventually someone will murmur the words "It was Jonas' idea," into your ear, and even though their voice can't possibly be louder than the music (oh geez - boyband) somehow you can hear precisely what they're saying just the same.
About how Jonas found out about the idea of a surprise birthday party, and that's pretty much all the explanation you need.
The voice continues, saying that it won't happen again next year, and though you never turn to look at the source, you're ridiculously glad that the voice is next to you amidst all this insanity; as if that's the place it always belongs.
At some point you'll wonder just when the hell you become quite so sappy, but it won't really matter and (though you really should) you don't really care, either.
"Anything else I can do?" It asks eventually, and you'll shake your head, looking at people dancing and drinking and eating, but not seeing anything at all.
"No." You'll reply. "Just stay right where you are."
And it will.
~FINIS