Elizabeth stood on the balcony, grateful to escape the bustle of Atlantis. She usually enjoyed these stolen moments. She looked forward to them actually, especially since John had taken to joining her. It had been hard to admit, even harder to accept, but she enjoyed having him by her side. Too much probably. Today though, she found it hard to enjoy the serenity of the world around them with John squirming like someone had just dropped an ice cube down his pants.
"Hey, are you all right?" Her hand landed upon his chest. His heart raced under his soft black t-shirt.
His mouth pressed together and he jammed his hands in his pant pockets.
"John?"
He withdrew his hand, holding a tiny white envelope. He slowly extended his hand towards her. His forehead crinkled as if in deep concentration, but Elizabeth could sense his hesitation.
She'd come to know many sides of John in their time on Atlantis. He could be brash, fierce, sarcastic, commanding, comical, kind and uncannily thoughtful. Loyal. Sexy, she mused allowing her mind to dwell on that one as her eyes washed appreciatively over his body. Correction. Sexy as hell. But this was a side of John she'd never seen. He had never seemed so endearing before and it oddly tugged at her heart. Curiosity surged and Elizabeth reached for the envelope, almost prying it from his fingertips.
She gently removed an even tinier card out of the miniature envelope. A cartoon valentine, just like the one she'd traded back in elementary school. It was silly really, but her heart did the roller coaster thing all the same. She could feel her smile stretching wide across her face. She looked at John and arched her eye speculatively before looking back to the valentine. It portrayed Charlie Brown hiding behind a tree peeking out at the Little Red Haired Girl. The caption read "Nothing takes the taste out of a peanut butter sandwich quite like unrequited love."
Her heart fluttered and she looked back to him not even trying to temper her delight. She found a need simmering in his eyes that took her breath away. Her mouth opened in surprise, feeling like she'd just been sucker punched in the heart.
John diverted his eyes, seeming uncomfortable with her silence, or possibly her gaping mouth, she considered. She pressed her lips together and bit down gently on her lip, thinking of another side of John, remembering when she'd hugged him in the Gateroom. He wasn't so good when it came to things of the heart. She'd be wise to tread gently with him. Her fingers traced the edge of the tiny valentine in her hand and she smiled softly. He had potential though.
"I must have given you the wrong card. Maybe I grabbed the one McKay made for you."
"Really, John? Because on this card peanut butter has been crossed out and the word turkey scribbled in above it."
John slowly dragged his hand through his spiky hair. Finally he shrugged. "Well. Guess it was the right one then. Happy Valentine's Day, Elizabeth."
He swiftly turned and took a step to leave when Elizabeth found her voice. "John?"
His eyes were dark and guarded when he glanced over his shoulder. She took a tiny step closer, her arm reaching hovering over his right shoulder for the longest moment before she dared allow her fingertips to touch him.
"Not unrequited."
A/N: Just a one shot. Hope you enjoyed.