a/n: Please enjoy. Unbetaed. Please read and review. Redone to be more T friendly.
Chapter 10- Fun in the Mess Hall
John used a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he left the gym with Ronon, "Want to grab some breakfast before the mission briefing?" The tried man noticed an increased intensity from his sparring partner during their sparring session.
"Sure," Ronon answered simply. "Is something wrong?" he asked about the colonel's excess perspiration.
Sheppard shook his head, "I should be asking you that. Warn me next time you are trying to get out some extra aggression." He had an idea where it was coming from and he prayed that it would not get worse when he found out whom the pretty physician was involved with. "It's about Keller, isn't it?"
"Why would it be?" the burly man shrugged. It had been the first time in his memory that a woman had turned him down and it was a bit of bruise to his ego. "Maybe a little," he finally allowed after a pointed glare from his companion.
John winced knowing he had to ask the question for the benefit of future team relations, but first he wanted to ease into it, "You aren't the only one she has turned down recently. You know that newish scientist that kind of looks like me, Jennifer turned him down as well. If you are this worked up over being turned down, I'm kind of worried about how you are going to react when she goes public with her relationship. I will stay far from you that day." He laughed a little uneasy.
Ronon stopped and put his hand across his friend's chest, "Is that your way of saying it's you?"
"What? No," he was shocked the question was asked.
"A woman then? Teyla?" Dex knew he was pulling at straws. It was obvious John was hiding something and it had to be someone who Sheppard was close with to have made a promise not to say anything.
"No," John shook his head. His teammate was missing the obvious. There was one member of their team that he did not ask about. But he screams like a woman sometimes.
"Then just tell me. We are supposed to be friends," Ronon had enough of the evasiveness.
Rodney is also my friend and I enjoy hot showers, which he will probably cut off if I tell before they are ready. "You aren't my only friend. You know certain trip that was supposed to be simple, but turned out to be anything but, last month. It wasn't meant to be only a medical follow up." The hint could not be more obvious short of giving a name.
The Satedan was trying to figure out what John was telling him, but by the time he figured it out they had arrived at the mess hall and the answer became clear, "She's seeing McKay?" he pointed at the couple who was sitting alone at a table. Rodney had his head on table and Jennifer whispering in his ear with her hand up the back of his shirt. The crankiest member of their team was the last person Ronon had expected Jennifer to go for. "Are you sure?"
John nodded, "Positive. Does that look like only friends to you?"
Rodney had to drag himself to the mess hall for breakfast, but he did it with a big smile on face. Plus, he was not alone with tired body dragging. With their relationship firmly cemented and after the intensity of the previous they were ready to go public with their relationship.
He could only smirk smugly at the looks he and Jennifer got as they walked in, holding hands "So tired," the exhausted physicist dropped his tray to the table. "But so worth it," his head fell next to the tray.
Jennifer smiled, "Last night was amazing. Just in case you hadn't heard me say it before." She started to play with the hair on the top of his head.
"You likened me to a god several times. Never took you for the screamer type," a goofy grin slowly spread across his face. Rodney's ego was at an all time high at this moment.
The embarrassed physician looked around to see if anyone heard that, "Keep your voice down. Nobody needs to hear that," Jennifer squeezed her lover's thigh under the cover of the table.
He looked at her questioningly, "You tell me to keep my voice down, but you do that? That is fair, how?"
"Nobody can see what I'm doing," she played innocent and offered Rodney a piece of her toast.
Rodney gulped as she started to move into dangerous territory and looked around nervously to make sure no one was watching. Wicked woman.
"What are you thinking?" Jennifer leaned and pressed her lips against Rodney's ear.
The scientist was quickly losing all coherent thought, "Not much at this moment."
She was fighting how far to take this in the mess hall, "Just have to repay you for last night."Jennifer whispered as she used her free hand to scratch Rodney's back under his shirt.
"But here?" Rodney asked in a strained voice.
"Long night?" John asked as he approached the table with Ronon following not too far behind. "Late night working, Meredith?" he just wanted to irritate his friend.
The couple jumped away from each other, both a matching shade of crimson. They placed both of their hands on the table to show nothing was going on.
"Something like that," Rodney grumbled as he looked down at his food. He looked at John sheepishly and knew if his friend had any idea what he interrupted that McKay would never live this down.
"Mind if we join you?" Sheppard was oblivious to what he had interrupted.
Jennifer nodded her head, slightly glad someone had interrupted them. She would have probably finished what she had started if the two other men had not arrived, "Sure," her hand pointed to the empty chairs. The redness of her face was not going away anytime soon. It was unlike her to be so bold in public, but she was still riding the high of the heavenly events of the night before.
"Did we interrupt something?" John asked just to bother Rodney. It was obvious that they were not hiding their relationship anymore.
Ronon did not saw a word as he sat down. One would have to be blind not to see the happiness of the two department heads. The rumblings of jealously had to be pushed away as Rodney was his friend too. It was only right to be happy for a friend when they looked the happiest they had been since you have known them. That did not mean he had to like it and he would need to have a talk with the Canadian soon.
"My...breakfast," Rodney swallowed hard as he refused to look at his partner in crime.
"Okay..." John was not going to even ask, scared of the answer he would receive. "How are the two love birds this morning?"
"Tired," the two spoke in unison before they looked at each other and laughed uneasily.