Ficlet: Keeping Secrets (Blake's 7)

[thisbluespirit]

Title: Keeping Secrets
Author: lost_spook
Rating: PG
Word Count: 553
Characters/Pairings: Del Tarrant/Dayna Mellanby
Notes/Warnings: None.
Summary: It’s hard work, having a secret relationship. (Early S4, no spoilers.)

Continuing with rescuing things from my notebook: this was an attempt at writing Tarrant/Dayna for paranoidangel42 in shipswap last year.

***

Dayna was busy in the Scorpio’s hold, tightening up one of the ship’s panels, shifting to try and get at it from a less awkward angle. When she heard the noise behind her, she turned her head. “That you, Tarrant? You took your time. I’ve been here half an hour already.”

“Avon wanted a word,” Tarrant said, moving to stand next to her. “And, Dayna, this is hardly the place for an assignation, is it?”

Dayna grinned widely at that. “Assignation? Oh, Tarrant. Then I hate to break it to you, but I really did want help with the repairs.”

“Ah,” said Tarrant, and then gave her a brief grin in return. “I suppose that does make more sense.”

Dayna returned to her task. “And now you’re wishing you’d prolonged the conversation after all.”

“Hardly,” said Tarrant, searching in the toolbox for another spanner. “Avon wasn’t in a good mood. This is immeasurably preferable.”

Dayna moved along as Tarrant studied the next panel, which seemed to have become twisted out of shape at some point. She shot him a speaking glance. Avon’s moods were rarely good, but they were worse than ever these days.

“I don’t suppose he knows, does he?” she said, eventually. “About us, I mean.”

Tarrant shrugged. “I can’t see why he should. This relationship’s so secret even I have trouble finding it out some days.”

“Aw, poor Tarrant!” said Dayna, laughing at him. “Don’t worry. When we’re finished here, I’ll prove it’s real. You won’t forget for days, I promise.”

“Not exactly modest, are you?” he said, but he moved nearer. Her smile grew, and he abandoned the difficult panel in favour of kissing her. “You know,” he said, after a while, “it’s not that bad a place for it, after all…”

“Not,” said Dayna, “if we want things to stay secret for much longer.”

Tarrant frowned. “Look, I don’t see what the point is in hiding and skulking about. What does it matter? The rest of them won’t care.”

“And which of them would you like to tell?” said Dayna. “Want to hear Avon’s thoughts on the subject, or have Vila trying to follow us about?”

“I just don’t see –”

“Sometimes,” she said, “I’m amazed you’re still alive.”

Tarrant looked down at her. “So am I. When we do get somewhere private, I want to make one thing clear. Nothing is going to happen until you make absolutely sure you don’t have any explosives hidden anywhere on or near you.”

“Oh, but I thought you liked the excitement.”

“I like my eyebrows as well. Among other things.”

“It was only a little explosion. And the burns weren’t that bad.”

Tarrant leant back against the wall. “Call me unreasonable, but I think it’s more romantic without surprises like that, thanks.”

“Oh, all right,” said Dayna. “I promise.”

It couldn’t last, of course, she thought, so they’d better make the most of it while they could. And with that, she set about trying to get the repairs finished as soon as possible. She didn’t have to look to know he’d done the same; he’d probably had the same thought.

After a while of working in silence, she turned her head towards him. “Okay, so no explosives, but what about any weapons I might happen to have to hand?”

“Dayna…”

***

Comments

[vilakins]

I could just see and hear them there!

[opusculasedfera]

Dayna and her explosives! <3 That is some lovely flirting right there.

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, thank you! :-)

[thisbluespirit]

Heh, thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! :-)

[aralias.livejournal.com]

i like :D

i don't have much more to add, but i think it's really well done - and very plausible. and i like dayna blowing things up, and her genuinely wanting him to help her to fix things.

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

I love this, no matter what my icon says. I don't generally get the shipping thing, but for some reason these two have always been an exception. They're perfect together, in every sense.

And you've captured them really well here. I love that Dayna was actually thinking about work to start with, and I love Tarrant being slightly dim, and Dayna with her never-ending battery of explosives hidden in improbable places. Nice work.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

That is sooo them... and the explosive part of Dayna's personality is what I do like about her :)

I loved this...

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

One of the most awesome things about having new people on my flist who are into Blake's 7 is more fic. *happy grabby hands*

This is hilarious and lovely, and Dayna is right that the others would judge them (except possibly Soolin, who would only make note of whether one or the other would be distracted in the line of duty. Well, I assume that, anyway).

=D

[ravenskyewalker.livejournal.com]

hee hee hee. That works well. :-)

[lolmac]

SQUEE!! *grabs happily*

This relationship’s so secret even I have trouble finding it out some days. -- I LOVE this line! Perfect.

I seem to recall there's an LJ comm for B7 pairing fics . . . ;-)

Is there a good online source for B7 screencaps?

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, thank you. And I'm very glad you like it. ;-)

[thisbluespirit]

It's okay, I don't mind when people threaten to kill me. I'll just defriend you. ;-p

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. I like them together, too - I think there are probably various reasons, but one of them is the way they don't need many words between each other and very soon in start to move together as one unit when they're out on missions. Those Ultras were pretty out there on most subjects, but I have to agree with them on making Tarrant and Dayna kiss. :lol:

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! Yes, it's not Dayna if she's not blowing stuff up, really... :-)

[thisbluespirit]

Heh, yes, we in B7 should definitely stick together! And I'm glad you liked it.

And, yes, I think Soolin would be okay, too. Although this is B7, so I suppose it does depend...

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! :-)

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, thank you. :-)

And, heh, yes, I think there might be... Oh, and yes, there's a great source of B7 screencaps online: http://www.framecaplib.com/b7lib.htm

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Hee. Of course explosive are always a danger when trying to carry on an affair with Dayna. :)

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

They're such a good team. It always confuses me slightly when Tarrant suddenly starts trying to get it on with Zeeona, in the penultimate episode. And Dayna's really nice about it, and immediately dashes to help him when they realise that Zeeona is dead. Best girlfriend ever, clearly.

Unless she sabotaged Zeeona's suit, of course. She does very carefully tamper with the evidence, now that I come to think of it... ;)

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

LOL! I love this. Poor Tarrant!

It does make sense that they'd keep their relationship quiet. Vila would spend all his time poking fun at them. :oD

[paranoidangel]

This is great. You have the banter down perfectly and I love Tarrant asking her to remove all her hidden explosives before they do anything.

[thisbluespirit]

Well, Dayna is sympathetic at the end - but she's really in a bad mood about Tarrant and Zeeona the rest of the episode. She stands around with Vila and does snark and eye-rolling. Well, even more than is usual for B7, I mean.

:-)

[thisbluespirit]

One dreads to think where she might have them... :-)

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. :-)

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, glad you liked it. And if Dayna goes round randomly keeping explosives in her mouth, who knows what else she might have where? Heh. :-)