~*~ A cup of coffee and a bit of happiness ~*~

1362 words

*notes: I wanted to try something cute and happy, so obviously Chuck and Lorne meeting for the first time imposed itself. Only you can tell me if I succeeded :) (set somewhere at the beginning of season II, so spoilers?)

Sundays have always been enjoyable. Even more so when they rhymed with a lazy morning, a good cup of coffee and gazing at the sea. The best kind of laziness in Chuck's opinion, and lucky him, he was just about to do that. Atlantis offered the best view as well, and it made it all better.

The Canadian entered the mess hall in an happy leap, looking forwards to doing absolutely nothing. It had been a while since he had a break, because of course evil never sleeps. The Wraith had just woken up in fact, keeping them all incredibly busy and stressed out. Fortunately, now that the enemy thought they had vanished in the endless ocean, they did not have to worry about them coming back for a second assault. All was calm, the exploration missions were back on schedule, both off world and in the city itself. They had more people too, thanks to the SGC. It helped greatly with everything.

With a smile he walked to the buffet line, his nose telling him the coffee was freshly brewed. Delighted, he poured the hot liquid in a metallic mug, the comforting smell filling the air even more. A contented sigh escaped him as he took his first sip. What a great way to start the day. But before he could make a move towards the balcony, Chuck noticed from the corner of his eye John Sheppard entering the room, followed by a young man he had seen before.

Major Evan Lorne is one of the many that arrived with the Daedalus. He never met the man per say but he came to understand John liked him. He even assigned him a team, if not, the title of second in command. That man must have an impressive military file to have gained that rank so quickly after his arrival. Other than that, the technician knew very little about him.

He watched as the two men advanced into the room, cheerfully chatting away. They stopped halfway through, stood there for a minute before John waved the other American goodbye and left. Maybe he had other things to do. As for Lorne, the man glanced around, familiarising himself with the place, before heading for the balcony.

Chuck had planned to enjoy his morning on the balcony, so why not make it nice for someone else too? Seeing the major had no coffee on his own, the Canadian decided to make him one. He poured another cup but quickly came to the realisation that he didn't know how Evan took it. He glanced around for a plate and when he found one, stacked a pile of milk and cream cups and a few sugar packets on it. Balancing the two cups he held in his left hand on the plate he held in the right he cautiously crossed the mess and safely stepped outside. He found Lorne leaning over the railing, gazing at the city and the ocean below. Crap, how was he going to introduce himself? He hadn't really thought about that one.

''It's very pretty isn't it?'' Smooth. Real smooth, Charles.

The other man turned around to face him, with a raised eyebrow and a quizzical look.

''Yes, it it.''

Oh wow. Chuck smiled back at Lorne, doing his best to hide the fact that the other man's eyes, and everything, had him breathless. Yes. Yes indeed, it was pretty. Gorgeous even. Never had he expected that. But not to show any of it, Chuck quickly put down the plate on the nearest table and handed one cup of coffee to the American. The man accepted it with a look Chuck would qualify as somewhat amused yet still questioning.

''I thought you might like one? Also, I don't know how you take it so I bought all the usual stuff''

Evan gazed at the plate before reporting his attention to the Canadian.

''Thank you, hum...''

''Chuck, it's Chuck.''

The major shot him a smile that made his heart miss a beat.

''I'm Lorne.'' Another smile. ''You're the Gate head technician right?''

The major had now turned his attention to the table, making his coffee to his liking. Chuck watched him for a while, taking a sip of his own coffee that now had tempered to a point where it was almost cold. He wouldn't admit it, but he took a special note on how the man preferred his drink.

''That's me alright.''

Lorne brought the cup to his lips, testing it to see if he had done it right. He looked pleased with the product and after a second sip, he turned towards the railing and leaned on it in the same way Chuck had found him in the first place.

''Similar to Walter, The Walter of Atlantis!'' he chuckled as the Canadian leaned next to him. Having no clues as to who Walter was, he could only look at the major in sheer confusion.

''Oh don't worry, I'm simply joking.'' It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. ''He works at the SGC, doing the same stuff you do.. except, minus the Wraith and everything...''

Chuck nodded, doing his best to recall if he had met the man in the short time he had spent at the Complex. Maybe, he couldn't say. He looked in the major's direction to signify that he did not remember but he found the other man had gone back to gazing at the water. For a minute they stood there, drinking their coffee and staring at the landscape before them. It was a comfortable silence, but Chuck needed to hear that gentle voice again.

''So, what do you think of Atlantis so far?''

Lorne didn't answer right away.

''The city itself, like you said, is beautiful. Now that I think about it, it would make for an amazing painting. As for everything around it, it's different from what I expected. I don't even know what I expected...''

''A painting?'' The major was an artist? That was another pleasant surprise.

Taken aback, Evan scratched his head, as if embarrassed by what he had just confessed.

''Yeah, I haven't painted in a while. I suppose now would be a great time to pick it up again.''

The perspective excited him, Chuck could see that.

''I would love to see your paintings. Only if you want me to, that is.''

The American looked at him for a second, uncertain, but as the Canadian smiled at him, he smiled back.

''Maybe one day.''

With those blue eyes on him, it was difficult to breath. He took a sip of his coffee in an attempt to hide it, relieved when Evan did the same. Lorne. He should probably stop referring to the man by his first name, he might let it slip one day. As he was about to ask the major what he had meant by ''not what I expected'' they were interrupted by John walking up behind them, an enigmatic smile on his face.

''Lorne, Chuck. Sorry to interrupt but Elizabeth's asked for a meeting.''

''On a Sunday?'' Evan was dubious, but John quickly reassured him.

''Don't worry, we're not going off-world and nothing's wrong. It's just simple procedure.''

''Of course!'' The sarcasm was strong and Chuck refrained a giggle. John raised an eyebrow.

Lorne took one last sip of his coffee before leaving the mug on the table where Chuck had left the plate. He made his way towards the exit, but just before he crossed over to the other room, he turned around and looked at the Canadian.

''Thank you for the coffee. See you around, Chuck.'' With a last smile, he was gone, leaving a over-joyed technician behind.

John hadn't followed right away. Chuck could see the colonel questioning him from the corner of his eyes, but he elected to ignore it. After a while, John grinned and shook his head, wishing him a good day. Chuck watched him leave before turning around and leaning on the railing once again. He'll have to be careful in the future, but for now, all he knew was that indeed, Sundays were great, and this one was no exception.