Standing on Ceremony
A Becoming Connor Davids Birthday Tale.
One-shot.
Author's Notes:
-Disclaimer : I don't own Stargate Atlantis or any of its character or plots. I do own Connor Davids and any other characters you don't recognize. I mean no infringement, this is for personal benefit only.
- This is a one-shot in the BCD series. It takes place several years in the future.
- It's my birthday today, and originally I was going to post an advanced interlude of their bonding, but eventually decided that would be too confusing, so you get this instead.
- There is a lot of Irish in this so instead of translating here, I translated as I went along, I hope it's not too disruptive. There's a pronunciation key at the end. Some of the translations are approximations, as with most languages direct translations would seem a bit odd.
- Edited Content at my listed homepage.
Beta: JackD
John rolled over until he landed on Connor. In response the younger man pulled the blankets up over his head. "You said you were going to let me sleep in." He complained, words muffled.
"I did." John countered. "It's 1020."
"Jo-ohn." He sighed. "I went to bed at five."
"Five hours of sleep is plenty. Rodney swears by four." John grinned. "Aren't you excited?"
Connor pushed the blankets off of his head. "Excited that I'm old?"
"Hey! I'm older than you are." John protested. "So if you're old than that makes me old and I'm not old."
"I think that's the most times 'old' has been used in a sentence." Connor flopped the blankets back over his head.
"Co-on-nor." John drawled. "Breith lá sona Duit!" [Happy Birthday to you!]
"Jo-ohn. Ta me tuirseach." [I'm tired.]
"Wake up anyways." John demanded with a poke to the body underneath his.
"Nuh-uh."
John rolled back off of his partner and lifted the edge of the blanket. He moved sideways towards Connor, pressing tightly against his body. "How much longer are you going to sleep?" John asked. His lips found the side of Connor's neck and he littered it with kisses.
"A few more hours." Connor mumbled.
"How about you wake up now and we celebrate your birthday?" He whispered against Connor's warm skin.
Connor turned his head towards John. "What would I get if I did?"
John lifted his mouth from Connor's shoulder. "Whatever you want." He promised. Connor shifted until he was draped across John's chest, his face settled into the crook of John's neck. John felt him whisper something but couldn't make out the words. He rested his hands on Connor's back, drawing random patterns on the bare skin. "What was that?"
His partner lifted his head a little. "I, um… you, maybe… me," he barely got out.
John laughed. Even after all their years together Connor was still shy about requesting anything more than a kiss. John lifted a hand from Connor's back to move some hair out of the linguist's face. "I think I can do that." He'd slowly learned what each fumbled phrase meant, but more than that, he'd learned Connor. John pushed the blanket off of them and it slid silently to the floor. Connor blushed on top of him as his naked body was suddenly exposed. He shivered lightly and John gently pushed up. "Let's go brush our teeth."
Connor grinned and rolled off of him, landing on his feet beside the bed. He skittered across their bedroom into their bathroom and John followed at a more sedate pace. When he got there he reached for his toothbrush, holding it out for some of the toothpaste that Connor was holding. The linguist happily squirted some for John before sticking his own toothbrush in his mouth. John slid his left hand around Connor's waist, his wedding ring glinting in the light.
They brushed quickly and efficiently and John received a minty fresh kiss when they finished. He gently maneuvered Connor back to their bed, falling on top of his partner. John settled both of his legs on either side of Connor's waist to support his weight. He leaned down and pressed his mouth to the younger man's, receiving another minty fresh kiss along with a familiar flavor that was uniquely Connor.
His husband opened his mouth for John and John slowly slid his tongue in. Connor's hands danced across John's back pulling him further down against the smaller man.
John loved Connor's body. It was perfect. "Tá tú go h-álainn." He whispered, pulling away from Connor's mouth. [You're beautiful.]
"Not as beautiful as you." Connor countered softly. It might have taken John years, but he finally spoke passable Irish. Now his husband's native language was a part of their daily conversations. John was nowhere near as good at it as Connor but John didn't ever expect to be up to his boyfriend's levels on anything. "Are you going to stare at me all morning?" Connor asked, arching a brow at John.
John shook his head and let out a soft laugh. "No, but I could."
"And have." His partner added.
"And have." John allowed. "I can't help it."
"I think you've gotten sappier in your old age." Connor grinned.
"Quit it with the old thing." John groaned. "Inside I'm still twenty-four."
Connor laughed quietly. "That would make me… nineteen."
John grinned. "I could go for that."
Connor poked him. "I'm sure you could, but there's something else I'd rather you go for right now."
"Oh yeah?" John asked, voice deep, eyes darkening with lust.
"Yeah." Connor answered breathless. "Mo shíorghrá." [My eternal love.]
"Go síoraí." John promised. [Forever.]
John slowly moved his lips down Connor's body.
[Edited Content]
"John." Connor cried softly.
John lowered his forehead until it rested on Connor's, their skin sliding against each other's with every movement that John made. "I love you." John whispered. "I love you so fucking much."
"I know." Connor promised, eyes dark blue with arousal. "I know, John."
John let his head drop onto the pillow next to Connor's as he buried his face in his husband's neck. "I love you." He whispered again. "I love you."
"Happy Birthday, Doc!" Someone yelled as Connor and John passed them in the hallway. Others were soon to join in.
"Happy Birthday!"
"You're old now, Doc!"
"Almost over the hill!"
John laughed. "Not quite!" He yelled back to the lieutenant who had yelled it.
Connor's face burned with embarrassment as he hid his face in John's shoulder as they walked. His hand was tightly clutching John's.
He blamed Rodney for this. It had started two years after he and John bonded on New Athos. He'd become increasingly close to the astrophysicist as he was John's best friend's and Eric's lover. Rodney had decided on a whim one day that the whole base needed to know when it was Connor's birthday so he sent out a massive e-mail to the entire expedition on the day of and had continued to do so every year. Now when Connor went anywhere on the dreaded day everyone he passed wished him a happy birthday. John found it amusing and Eric had tried to talk his partner out of it several times but Rodney wasn't having any of it.
"I'm going to kill McKay." Connor mumbled into John's arm.
His partner laughed again. "You say that every year, Con."
"And I mean it."
"And yet somehow Rodney is still standing."
"Guh."
"Happy Birthday, Dr. Davids!"
"Happy Birthday, Connor!"
"Death." Connor growled, pulling away from John's shoulder. "I mean it this time, John."
"Sure you do." His husband placated. "We're almost to the mess hall. I bet Corporal Michaelson made crepes."
"I don't think Tony knows how to make crepes."
"Then I bet he replicated them and brought them to the mess hall for you." John corrected with a grin. "Along with a giant bowl of raspberries."
"You always think you can bribe me with raspberries." Connor answered.
"Well, when it stops working, I'll stop thinking that." John said cheekily. "You, my dear husband, love the damned things."
"Happy Birthday, Doc!"
Connor felt his face redden even more. "Fine. But I demand pudding as well."
John laughed and let go of Connor's hand to wind an arm around the linguist's waist, squeezing firmly. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't."
"Surprise!" Twenty voices yelled at once.
Connor immediately turned to glare at John who had an innocent look schooled on his face. His partner held his hands up. "Don't look at me. I was just told to bring you here at this time."
Connor promised with his eyes that there would be words later. He glanced around. His team was there, John's team, Evan's team, Rachael's team and Jaryn as well as a few other people that he worked with.
"Smile." John said quietly from his side as he wormed an arm around Connor's waist.
Connor pasted a smile on his face and hoped it didn't look too fake. Even after all the work John had put into him, Connor preferred his alone time, with or without John. Although, increasingly he wanted it with John. His husband was more of a social butterfly than Connor was but seemed willing enough to sequester away with him.
"Wow." Connor said quietly. "You really didn't have to do all this for me."
The rec. room they were in was covered with streamers, birthday banners, confetti and balloons. There was a small pile of presents on a table in the corner and sitting next to it was a giant cake with a huge Irish flag on top with 'Happy Birthday Connor!' scrolled across it.
John's hand subtlety slid under Connor's shirt and his finger tucked into the top of his jeans. It was a warm and reassuring gesture from his husband and Connor loved him even more in that moment. He unconsciously reached up with a hand to where all three of his dog tags rested under his shirt. He patted them once to make sure they were there before dropping his hand. He knew that John had caught the gesture when the arm around his waist pulled him in just a little bit closer.
"Of course we did, Doc." Ben said, stepping forward to give Connor a hug. Connor didn't want one, as it meant letting go of John, but he let go and accepted it anyways. Ben grinned as he pulled back and held his hand out to John. "Colonel Sheppard, congratulations on getting him here, sir."
"Getting him here was the easy part, Ramsey. I'll be paying for it later."
"Of that I have no doubt, sir."
Connor poked John. "Behave."
John offered a sloppy mock-salute. "Yes, sir."
The people around them laughed as more stepped forward to offer their own words to Connor. John was never far, always hovering on the sidelines, not once leaving Connor's line of sight. He was talking off to the side to Teyla and Ronon but his eyes stayed on Connor.
Connor sighed inwardly as he smiled again and accepted another hug. The cake had better be good.
Later that night John lay on the bed with Connor's head pillowed on his chest. The scientist was tracing a name on one of John's dog tags. A leg was casually thrown over John's and John was gently running a hand up and down Connor's back.
"Happy Birthday, Con."
"Thank you." Connor answered softly.
"M'fhear céile." John sighed happily. "Go dté tú an céad." [My husband. May you live to be a hundred.]
Connor laughed softly. "Only if you do, John."
"I've made it this far." John responded.
"By sheer luck alone, and need I remind you about M21-079?"
John groaned. "Are you always going to throw that back in my face?"
"Well, until I die and you can experience the same horrifying knowledge that your husband is dead, then yes." His partner answered easily.
"I said I was sorry."
"Sure."
"And I am."
"Uh-huh."
"It wasn't my fault, though!"
"Of course not, John."
John smiled. "I love you, Connor Sheppard-Davids."
"Tá grá agam duit, John."
Pronunciation key (roughly):
Breith lá sona Duit - breht law shone ditch
Ta me tuirseach - taw may tier-shuck
Tá tú go h-álainn - taw two guh haul-inn
Conas tá tú - Cone-ahss tah two
Mo shíorghrá - muh heer-grah
Go síoraí - guh sheer-ee
M'fhear céile - mah far kayla
Go dté tú an céad -guh day two on kade
Tá grá agam duit - tah graw egum ditch