Disclaimer: Nope, don't own.
John's seen a lot in his life. He's seen his friends and teammates die, he's seen a solar system explode, he's seen horrors some people could only imagine. He's also seen great men and women at work, he's seen the rising of three moons over the ocean and he's seen wonders some people can only wish for.
Over the years, John's changed, been shaped into one person and then molded into another; going where the tide pushed him. Over time he realized that out of everything he claimed to love, only a handful of things didn't change.
He used to think he loved French fries with mustard, but changed his mind a year later or musicals when he found himself cringing at the mention of them in the future. So he kept the handful that didn't change close to him and safe.
He loved football, had since he was in high school and his love of the sport certainly hadn't waned through the years. He loved it so much that one of his few personal possessions on the Atlantis expedition was a tape of a true Hail Mary.
Then there was flying. The thrill of being in the air, no longer restricted to the ground followed him through life. It was like a drug- he couldn't get enough. From jets to copters to puddle jumpers, he flew everything he could get his hands on; it was like a natural born talent. One that his father didn't approve of too, so that was always a bonus.
Atlantis. He hadn't really had a home before Atlantis, not in the 'home is where the heart is' sense. Hadn't really had a family either. It was like everything clicked into place when he stepped out of the gate. A possible hostile world became his new home and the members of the expedition became his family. It certainly wasn't like any home he'd ever had before. This one, despite looking like a pristine castle from a story book, was warm, welcoming, there when he returned. It was home.
His brother, believe it or not was on the list. They may not have seen eye to eye, pretty much their entire life but it didn't mean that he loved the guy any less. Well, that was sort of true. Truthfully, he hadn't spoken to his brother since before he had left for Atlantis the first time and it hadn't been until he had seen McKay with his sister that he had done something about it. Sending a message to earth for him had been one of the hardest things he had ever done and waiting for a response slowly managed to crush every hope he had that his brother didn't hate him. Then a response came. He'd expected that any response he may have received would have been short and to the point. He'd been wrong. There'd been a large envelope waiting for him when he returned from a mission, stuffed with pages upon pages of stories and news, from his brother. John wouldn't admit it to anyone, but the reasoning for his pleased grin the rest of the week had been the letter he could read every night before going to sleep.
Then there was the last thing. Well, last person to be exact. This one, though, he hadn't actually been aware of. It was one of those moments when they came this close to dying again and hadn't actually made it to safety just yet when their eyes connected and he could tell everything that Rodney McKay was thinking. That was about when he realized that Rodney McKay, self proclaimed genius of both galaxies (and may not have been wrong) loved him. The unexpected thought of; shit, what a lot of wasted time, was closely followed by; they'd better make it out of there or he'd be really pissed off about all the sex he'd missed out on. Rodney chose to point out later when they were curled up in bed that his lack of freaking out obviously meant that his subconscious had always known what he'd just figured out. John had just snorted and tried to go back to sleep.
There weren't a lot of things John Sheppard loved in his life, but the ones he did, he swore to keep close to him and safe. It was the least he could do.