Title: Comfort of Strangers
Summary: As he takes his seat, he can't help but the comfort these strangers share. Season 2
Characters: Kanaan, Teyla, Sheppard, Ronon and McKay
Pairing: John/Teyla, Kanaan-Teyla
Rating: K
Notes: I am killing two birds with this here one fic.
-This is the next instalment of my tag fic with Camy to the theme of 'secrets'.
-I am also submitting it as a story for the JT prompt battle. Prompt was "Every 'gate team has its secrets, things they don't tell outsiders."
He follows her laughter to the recreation room, where she and the rest of her team are seated on the large chairs the expedition had brought from Earth. It had been too long since he had been in the city of the Ancestors and when he'd asked to visit her from the mainland, she had heartily agreed.
He had not known the rest of her team would be there.
When he enters the room, the atmosphere shifts slightly and he smiles down at the four of them, nodding in greeting to Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay, and the newest member of their team, Ronon Dex. Images move across a screen in front of them and as he turns to it, they pause. He frowns but does not question – those from Earth, he has learned, are very strange.
He glances to the small 'sofa' where Major Sheppard and Teyla are seated - her legs drawn under her body, Sheppard lounging against the arm - and to the empty chairs on the other side of the room. He moves towards one and drags it over, sliding into one of the gaps between the sofa and Doctor McKay's chair. The others resume quiet conversation though he can't help but feel he has intruded on something.
How you doing, Kanaan?" Major Sheppard asks after a moment, glancing at him over Teyla's head.
Kanaan, slightly startled by the voice, turns to him and smiles, nodding lightly.
"I am well, thank you, Major Sheppard."
He watches as the other man lifts his eyebrows and scratches behind his ear as a small, modest smile tugs at his lips.
"It's Lieutenant Colonel, now, actually."
Kanaan frowns momentarily, confused. The titles of the men and women of Earth are still new and strange to him. He turns, subconsciously, to Teyla and she smiles over to him.
"It is a promotion; like on Ederia, where the fighters become more accomplished." Kanaan nods in comprehension but his eyes narrow slightly when Teyla's hand covers John Sheppard's forearm and the latter smiles bashfully across at her. "John's accomplishments here have been rewarded by his peers back on Earth."
Kanaan can't help the fleeting bitter thought of John's accomplishments; the awakening of the Wraith, the culling of hundreds of thousands of people hardly seems anything to be rewarded for.
He smiles over to the Lieutenant Colonel and bows his head lowly in a show of understanding.
"Well done."
"You don't talk about me to your people, Teyla?" Sheppard asks and Kanaan once again finds himself frowning at the tone, at the easy familiarity between the two but he brushes it aside.
"I have not had occasion to visit my people since your return," Teyla says and Kanaan can hear the regret laced with the levity of her tone. As he watches Sheppard's finger reach out to stroke down the back of her hand, Kanaan notes that he is not the only one conscious of Teyla's mood. "Are you well, Kanaan?" She asks as she twists her position to lean over the thick arm of the sofa to look at him.
"I am," he says lightly, smiling as she grins at him. "And you?"
He can feel the heavy burden of eyes on the side of his face but he does not dare to turn to meet the gaze; Teyla's newest friend, Kanaan can sense already, is very intense. And very large.
"We are well." He takes pause at her use of 'we' but does not question it as the others nod around him. "We are all very tired; it has been a very busy time for us here."
Kanaan nods in understanding as he reaches out and places a hand over her shoulder for a moment before withdrawing it back to himself.
"Halling told us you were leading the people here while Doctor Weir returned to Earth?" He asks questioningly and she nods, a darkness tinting the edge of her eyes. He knows he will question her later, if he gets a moment alone with her. "That must have been draining," he says lightly and casts a furtive glance at the members of her team, a light smile tinting his lips as she laughs lightly in the back of her throat.
Suddenly, Sheppard stands and Kanaan leans back in his chair quickly, looking up at the man as he towers over him. They all turn to him questioningly as he runs a hand through his hair and hops over the back of the sofa, landing lightly on his feet. At Teyla's questioning glance and Doctor McKay's grunt of disapproval, Sheppard responds;
"Popcorn."
Kanaan watches as Teyla beams a smile at him and watches him for a long moment as he moves to the other side of the room, opening doors to large store holds and rummages through the packets. Kanaan does not watch Sheppard's antics but turns back to Teyla.
"Beya and Jensen are to be joined in union," he says to her quietly as he leans closer to her, the words for her ears only.
"Really?"
From somewhere in the room, a machine makes a strange buzzing sound but Kanaan tunes it out and watches Teyla's reaction; her surprise is evident, her happiness too but it is the way her gaze slides past Kanaan's shoulder for a moment that catches his attention.
"Yes," he says and he cannot keep his own pride at his sister's union in check. Teyla's hand rests on the arm of the chair, her fingers splayed delicately over the soft material and Kanaan reaches out to cover it with his own, gently squeezing. "You miss much by being here."
Her gaze falters slightly and he instantly regrets his words; he knows that Teyla's decision was difficult for her and while many amongst their people are still confused as to why she left, Kanaan believes he knows her well enough to understand. He squeezes her hand again and her eyes rise to meet his, the sadness lingering at the edges of her features. He does not enjoy seeing her like this. The moment lingers, heavy and unspoken and he finds he can't help the slow smile that starts to creep over his lips.
He is jostled from his thoughts and his hands slips from Teyla's as Sheppard bumps into the back of his chair.
"Sorry," the other man states but Kanaan can sense to sincerity behind it. He waves him off and settles back into the chair, his gaze wandering to Teyla once again when Sheppard speaks. "You ready for this Teyla?"
Teyla reaches out and pushes the Lieutenant Colonel's head lightly, their laughs lingering in the air like the morning mist on the plains. Kanaan glances away.
As the room darkens and the images on the screen begin moving again, Kanaan settles back and wonders how long he will be here for; his intention had been to spend some time with Teyla, not her team and he would still like to do so before his return to the mainland in the morning.
Some time later, Kanaan rises to relieve himself and his eyes pause as they ghost over Teyla. In her lap is John Sheppard's feet, her fingers kneading circles in his skin. Sheppard's lap is similar, though his fingers trace lightly up the side of her ankles, eyes fixed on the screen.
He tells himself it is nothing but the comfort of strangers.
When he returns, the room is dim but he can make out their shapes; Doctor McKay lounges on a small one seated chair, his head lolled back in sleep; Ronon watches the screen intently, his features unchanging; Teyla lies on her side, her fingers stroking the skin of John Sheppard's arm that is wound tightly around her waist.
As Kanaan takes his seat, he can't help but feel the comfort these strangers share.
He wonders, as he watches Teyla turn her head back to Sheppard and share a quiet laugh with the Lieutenant Colonel, what other secrets they share.