Becoming Connor Davids
Chapter 35 : Delicate
Author's Notes :
- Spoilers for season 5 episode The Shrine and season 2 episode Duet which both belong to MGM.
- All dialogue lines from The Shrine belong to MGM and were transcribed at www [dot] gate world [dot] com by Callie Sullivan.
- Galway Hooker really is a beer (4.4% alc.) and, to the best of my knowledge, (sadly) only available in Ireland. My friends and I like to joke that we bought a seven Euro hooker.
- Anything mentioned about Ireland is true to my knowledge and experience.
- Thanks to Flowerfairy30 for letting me bounce some ideas. =)
"It's sunny!" John said with a happy laugh.
Connor poked him. "We do have sun."
"From the way you tell it, it's always raining."
"Almost." Connor agreed.
"So what town is this again?"
"Galway."
John looked around. Connor looked right at home in the Irish city, even John thought he might be able to pass, but Ronon and Teyla stuck out like a sore thumb. One of the first things John had noticed was how pale everyone was; Ronon was as far from pale as you could get and Teyla couldn't be pale if she tried. "So what's here?"
Connor had been reluctant to hold John's hand once they'd stepped foot in his country, but John wasn't about to waste any amount of time that they had not pretending to avoid each other. "Um, remember when I was telling you about the Cliffs of Moher?"
"Yeah, really high." John said squinting in remembrance.
Connor offered him a smile. "That's them. Well, to get to them we'd have to hire a car or take a tour. I, um, don't drive, so we need to catch a tour."
"You don't drive?" John asked astonished. "How did I not know this about you?"
"Well I don't get a lot of opportunity to drive in Atlantis." His boyfriend grinned. "And we need some mystery, to keep the relationship alive."
John hugged Connor sideways. "Mystery, huh? You seemed pretty alive last night." He whispered suggestively into Connor's ear.
"John!" He blushed and whacked John's arms. Next to him Ronon laughed and Teyla smiled at them and John caught a flash of amusement in both of their eyes.
"So where do we catch this tour?"
"We have to walk to the end of this block and then over a couple streets, there's a small office there next to a café."
"Is that your subtle way of telling me to feed you?" John asked, unwrapping his arms from Connor's waist, grabbing his hand instead as they started to walk.
"Um, maybe?"
John laughed. "Then feed you I shall."
"One more bite." John pleaded, holding up a spoonful of pudding to Connor's lips. The linguist sighed but allowed his partner to feed him. John refilled the spoon. "One more." He repeated.
"John!" Connor said with a laugh. "I really can't eat anymore, I'm going to explode." He pushed away John's hand. "Really."
John looked at Connor's half eaten dinner and sighed. His boyfriend still couldn't eat anywhere near the amount of food someone of his height should be eating. Not for lack of John's trying. They'd been engaged for less than a week and John was making good on his promise to himself to feed Connor more. If he couldn't eat with Connor then he made sure someone else was. Even Rodney had volunteered to have lunch with the linguist, surprising John.
Connor hadn't been too fond of the idea, but John had bribed him with a blow-job, something he definitely wasn't above doing. Even then, though, the linguist hadn't been too keen to give in. Rodney, for his part had seemed to be trying to make amends. He'd apologized to John the day after he'd announced his engagement and promised to speak to Connor about it, although he hadn't yet.
"Just one more bite."
"I can't." Connor moaned. "You stuffed me at breakfast, Evan stuffed me at lunch. I can't eat anymore!"
John smiled, satisfied and set the pudding on their bedside table. John climbed on top of his boyfriend and bent down to get a taste of the pudding the younger man was just eating. Connor gently opened his mouth against John's and John plunged his tongue into Connor's hot mouth.
"Mmm, I love butterscotch." John said with a sigh as he pulled back.
Connor laughed. "Me too."
"I know."
John was exceedingly happy these days. A couple days ago, they'd gone off world, ran into angry villagers and John still hadn't stopped smiling through the whole thing. Rodney had been giving him funny looks since he announced his engagement and now Teyla and Ronon were too, but John couldn't help it. He was so damn happy. Yesterday he, Connor and Teyla had gone to New Athos to speak with Halling who had been happy for them and granted permission for them to bond. The date was set for a little over a month away, July 20th, a date of no consequence to anyone but him and Connor; it was their one year anniversary.
Of course Connor was still worried about answering questions wrong, so at all hours of the day John would be bombarded with a new question that Connor thought up and if John were working the questions would be waiting in his inbox. He thought eventually he would get annoyed, but so far every question had left him with a bigger smile than he had before and a little reassurance that even if Connor was nervous, he was ready.
"Did you ever have any pets?" Connor asked, breaking John out of his musings.
John laughed. "I wondered when you're next question would be, I think it's been a whole twenty minutes." He teased. Connor blushed and John grinned. "Nope, no pets. Just one linguist that I need to keep fed and watered."
"You make me sound like a plant." Connor groused.
"But a cute plant." John said grinning.
"If you say so."
"I definitely do."
Connor kissed him again briefly and then rolled out from under him. John caught the back of his shirt and Connor stopped to look at him. "I got to go back to work."
John groaned. "I thought you were kidding."
"Really?"
John thought about it. "Okay, no. I'd hoped you were kidding." He rephrased.
"I'm really close, John." Connor said, grabbing his USAF sweatshirt and pulling it on over his uniform shirt.
"On what?"
"Hm?"
"Close on what?"
"Daniel and I have been translating some writings from a temple that Ben's team found."
John inwardly groaned again. "How long will you be gone?"
"Probably all night."
John was reminded of how when they first started dating Connor would come home at two or three in the morning. The older man knew that if they weren't dating now, Connor would still be coming home then, he came home earlier now for John.
John sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Can I come and watch a movie?"
Connor smiled. "Sure."
The linguist grabbed his and John's laptops and piled a few books into John's arms and John followed him out of their room.
Once there, John gave Connor a quick kiss before setting the books on the scientist's desk and grabbing his laptop. Sitting on the couch he browsed through the movies on Atlantis' server before choosing one at random. He started it up, keeping the volume low, as Connor returned to work.
John probably spent more time watching his boyfriend than he did the movie as Connor would go back and forth between his computer, a notebook and several books that were spread out.
"Hey, John?"
He dragged his eyes up from his movie. "Hm?"
"Did you always want to be a pilot?" Connor asked, turning in his seat to look at him.
"Yep."
"Always always?"
"Yep."
"Even when you went to college for math?"
"Yep."
"Okay." He smiled and turned back to his work.
John went back to his movie, but a thought nagged at him. "Connor?"
"Hm?" The younger man asked without looking up.
"I used to always want to be a pilot." John said quietly.
"Used to?" His head turned to look at John.
"Yeah, not so much anymore."
Connor frowned. "Really? But you love flying."
John shrugged. "I found something I loved more."
Connor appeared to think for a second. "Atlantis?"
"No," John said gently. "Maybe I should have said, someone I love more."
"But…but you can still be a pilot." Connor said quietly, confused.
"Not if Uncle Sam makes me choose."
"I wouldn't make you choose."
"I know." John smiled, a bit sadly this time. "But I might have to."
"I don't want you to have to."
"I know."
Connor nodded. "Okay." And he turned back to his work, typing quietly.
"John?"
John sat up and his hand went to his gun holster. Connor stood in front of him, trying to hide a laugh. "Connor?" John rubbed his eyes. "Did I fall asleep?"
"Yeah."
"What time is it?"
"Two-thirty."
"In the morning?"
"Yeah. C'mon," Connor said, pulling John up. "Bed."
"Why, Mr. Davids, I'm just not that kind of guy." John teased.
Connor shot him a look. "Uh-huh." Because they both knew that when it came to Connor, John definitely was that kind of a guy.
As John had promised, they had taken a few days for themselves. Teyla and Ronon were in the hotel somewhere, but Connor hadn't heard from either of them in two days, although he knew that John had. They were somewhere in California, but Connor hadn't asked where and John hadn't offered. All he knew was that when he and John walked down the street, John's arm around his waist, no one had so much as blinked and when John had kissed him quickly but softly while they had waited for food, no one stared.
They had spent two days just walking around the ocean-side city. Connor had never been so happy in his life, laughing with John and being the couple they couldn't on Atlantis. He had John had walked around downtown, stopping in at the small boutique stores there. John had modeled a few pieces of clothes for Connor; some more outrageous than the last. Although the linguist had to admit…John had looked pretty sexy in a cowboy outfit he had put together. That, Connor had made him buy.
His nightmares had dwindled and every night he went to bed tangled in John's arms, feeling the familiar weight and heat on his skin. Connor couldn't be sure, but he thought he might have put on a pound or two also. From the way that Teyla and John had let up on him eating, he thought he was probably right.
But now it was midnight on the third day. They'd had a wonderful day, finding a small county fair, complete with a Ferris wheel for John. His partner's face lit up and Connor found himself wishing that he could bring one back to Atlantis just so he could see that look on John's face everyday.
They had gone to bed at eleven and while John had drifted off, Connor hadn't been able to sleep. Instead of staring at the ceiling he had gone to look out the window at the ocean. There was a lighthouse a little ways up and Connor could see waves illuminated by the light. John came up behind him, wrapping his arms around him, warming him and providing some comfort. Connor's arms settled over John's and he leaned back slightly.
"Anything I can do?" John murmured into his ear.
"No." Connor whispered. "I just…"
"I know." And Connor was glad that someone did, because he certainly didn't.
"How are Ronon and Teyla?"
"They're good." John answered him. "They've been seeing the sights too."
"I…" Connor paused and licked his lips. "Do you ever think about this?"
John didn't bother asking what he was talking about. "Sometimes all I want to do is take you and leave Atlantis. Go somewhere where we don't have to hide, where we can just be you and me, Connor and John, not Dr. Davids and Colonel Sheppard."
Connor raised a hand and settled it on the side of John's face. "You would be miserable."
"I would have you." John countered.
"I would never ask you to do that."
"I know." John said quietly. And they both knew it was because John would.
"These past few days…" Connor started.
"Yeah." The older man agreed. "A blessing and a punishment."
"John?"
"Yeah?"
Connor opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Go away with me, he wanted to say, let's just do this forever, hold hands on the street, kiss in cafés, ride Ferric wheels as the sun sets. And John? He wanted to ask. Marry me. But all that came out was, "Thanks."
John kissed his temple. "No problem. Are you going to come back to bed?"
"In a few minutes." Connor said sadly, dismayed at his lack of courage to say what he wanted to say.
John tightened his arms. "I'm here for you, Con, whatever you need."
"I know."
"Hey." Connor looked up to see Dr. McKay standing in his doorway the next morning.
He swallowed nervously, "Um, hi."
"Can I come in?" The other man didn't wait for an answer before inviting himself in.
"Sure." Connor said anyways.
John's best friend walked over to where Connor was sitting at his desk, working. "Look, I promised Sheppard we would talk." He said, shifting from one foot to another.
Connor frowned. "Okay. Um, about what?"
"Whatever is between us." He said, motioning with his hand.
Air? Connor was tempted to ask but didn't. He would do this for John. "Okay."
"So…" Connor looked around nervously. "This is so ridiculous!" McKay exploded. "You're dating my best friend, I'm dating yours--"
"Evan's my best friend."
"--you go running with my teammate and the Athosians have taken you in like a second son!" He continued without acknowledging what Connor had said. "We have everything in common, we even wear the same clothes!" Connor didn't really think that could count since they were assigned the uniform.
"Um…"
"Is that all you ever say?! Sheppard went and got himself the only linguist who can't talk."
Connor felt a sting of hurt. "I can--"
"And what did you do to him anyways? Sheppard used to be normal! Now he's…defective…different."
Connor flinched at the words. "I--"
"This is never going to work! Look," McKay leveled his gaze with Connor's. "Just tell Sheppard we had our merry talk and everything will be fine, okay?"
Connor opened his mouth and closed it. He nodded.
"Great." Without another word the older man turned and left.
Connor rubbed his chest, it ached a little from McKay's words. Dr. McKay didn't even give him a chance to speak, so then why did Connor feel like he let John down?
"Hey, John." Carter greeted him as he poked his head into her office.
"Colonel." He nodded.
"Dr. Nichols' team is an hour overdue for his check-in and he isn't answering our calls."
'I'll get my team together." John finished
"Thanks."
"Sure."
He backed out already hitting his radio and walking towards the nearest transporter. "Sheppard to McKay."
"What?"
"Gear up, Rodney, we're leaving in ten minutes."
"We didn't have a mission planned for today."
"We do now." John hit the button for Connor's level. "Sheppard out…Sheppard to Teyla."
"Yes, John?"
"Sorry, I hate to drag you away from…" John realized he had no idea what she was doing, "…um, anyways Carter needs us to go check something out."
"Alright."
"Ten minutes."
"Ten minutes." She agreed.
"Sheppard out." He left the transporter and headed down the hallway to his partner's lab. "Sheppard to Ronon." Connor looked up as John entered. He held up a hand.
"Yeah?"
"We're gating out in ten."
"Got it."
"Sheppard out." John clicked off his radio. "Hey."
"Hey." Connor smiled, but the smile, for the first time in almost a week, didn't reach his eyes.
"Everything alright?"
"Yeah. So you're gating out?"
"Yeah. Nichols missed his check in, isn't answering radio calls."
Connor hugged him around the waist, his head against John's stomach. "Be careful."
"I will." John ran a hand through Connor's red-brown hair. "Make sure you eat some lunch."
"I promise."
"Good." He kissed the top of Connor's hair. "I love you."
"Love you, too." Connor whispered and kissed his stomach through his shirt. He stuck something in John's back pocket and the older man couldn't tell what it was, he'd check it later. He gave Connor one last short kiss and then regretfully pulled away.
"I'll see you tonight."
"Okay."
John ran a hand down Connor's face and then pulled it back. "Bye."
"Bye." He drank in his boyfriend once more before turning and heading back down the corridor.
When he got to the tac room, his team was already there. Teyla was checking McKay's pack and John quickly pulled his on. Ronon checked his over as John reached into his back pocket. He grinned when he pulled out a cookies and cream PowerBar, his favorite, and his grin only grew larger when he saw that on the top, in Sharpie over the wrapper Connor had written 'Tá grá agam duit. - Connor'. He tucked it into a vest pocket and grabbed a P-90 from the rack.
"Ready?" He asked his teammates.
They nodded and John led them out of the room. Colonel Carter was waiting at the bottom of the steps for them. "Thanks for doing this, John."
"No problem, Colonel."
"Please remind Dr. Nicols that he's over-due for a check-in."
"Right. Want me to smack him around or anything?"
She smiled softly. "No, just the reminder will do."
John turned towards the gate and his team followed.
"Shouldn't we be concerned for Doctor Nichols' team?" Teyla asked.
"Nah, the settlement's a half hour from the gate and he's supposed to check in every six hours. I'm sure Nichols is just tired of taking the round trip."
"Still," Rodney said from his left. "It wouldn't hurt to bust his chops a bit. That Nichols, he's so arrogant."
John rolled his eyes as he and his team stepped through the stargate.
Shit. Was his immediate thought before he let go of the P-90 and started swimming towards the surface. He glanced left and right to make sure that his team was okay. John surfaced after Ronon did and the Satedan started climbing the stargate, the top of it was the only part not underwater. John followed him and helped Teyla up as Ronon helped McKay up.
"Well," John said easily. "I guess we should let Atlantis know what happened."
"Go-good idea." McKay said shivering. "Have them send a jumper."
"Me?" John looked down, yep, the DHD was underwater. "Fine. Anything else?"
"Some food."
John rolled his eyes again and slipped off the stargate. He took a deep breath before going down and dialing Atlantis. He swam back up to the surface before hitting his radio. "Atlantis this is Sheppard. Do not lower the shield. The entire tower will be flooded."
"What's your status, John?" Carter asked over the radio.
"It's cold and wet. The stargate's under water. The entire valley's flooded."
"And it's freezing." McKay added, shivering next to John.
"And you need to send a Jumper through so we can stay warm and dry until the water recedes." John finished.
"Will do, Colonel. Hold on." Carter said.
"Holdin' on. Sheppard out."
Minutes later the stargate was still active. "What's goin on?"
"It's the water. The constant pressure's forcing the wormhole to stay active, which means we're gonna have to wait the maximum amount of time a stargate can stay open -- thirty-eight minutes." Rodney explained.
"Well, we're already up to thirty-two -- and before you say 'I told you so,' we had no choice."
"Ugh, I can't stop shivering." Rodney said miserably.
"You're letting all the hot air out of your mouth." Ronon told him.
"All right, everybody." John broke in. "We'll be warm soon enough."
"I don't know." Rodney denied. "I think I got wetter than you."
"I don't know." John drawled. "I think I got a little damp dialing the DHD."
Teyla turned to look at John. "The research camp was further up this valley. I'm a little concerned for Dr Nichols' team."
"Right." John reached up to tap his radio. "Anyone at the research camp, this is Colonel Sheppard. Please respond." Some static came over the radio. "I repeat, this is Colonel Sheppard. Please respond."
"I'm pretty sure they're all dead." Rodney said morosely.
Great, John thought. Just great.
"Let's go swimming!" Connor said happily, tugging on John's hand. They were still at the Disneyland hotel and the pool there was nice and large.
John laughed. "Aren't you tired from walking around all day?"
"Teyla and I had…" Connor leaned in to John's ear to whisper, "Espressos."
John looked sideways at the Athosian woman who, now that he thought about it, did seem to have an extra bounce to her step. "Did you ask Ronon and Teyla?"
"Yeah, they said 'yes'. Please, John." He begged. "Let's go swimming."
John laughed at the look Connor had on his face. "Sure."
Connor planted a sloppy, wet kiss on John's cheek. "Thanks!"
"Do you have your swim suit?"
"Yup…I think…did you pack it?"
John thought for a moment. "I think so."
Connor laughed. "Let's go." He dragged John through the lobby where Ronon and Teyla were waiting at the elevator. Ronon loved to press the button, so he would always try to get there first. One time Ronon pressed all the buttons and by the time they reached the fifth floor, in a hotel of twenty-six, John and Teyla had gotten up to wait for the next one. Connor, though, had ridden with Ronon all the way and had been quite exuberant when he'd gotten off.
Connor bounced all the way up to their floor and John kept a warm hand on the younger man's lower back. John loved this side of his partner. He seemed younger, more open and carefree. He still had nightmares and more than one sleepless night, but here, in The Happiest Place on Earth, Connor could act less like his age and pretend that the things on Atlantis that weighed him down didn't exist. John thought it must be tiring to remember everything, there would be no relief for Connor from the image of Dr. Grey lying dead or Lorne bleeding out, but here at least John could distract him with roller coasters and cotton candy. And Connor could plant as many wet kisses as he wanted on John.
The younger man turned then, to face John, his blue eyes shining and happy. He smiled and wrapped his arms around John, who returned the sideways hug. "I love you, John." He said.
"I love you, too, Con." John said, pressing his lips to Connor's forehead. His teammates might be family, but John wasn't about to start making out in front of them.
"Let's go swimming!"
Connor waited nervously for John on the other side of the stargate. Evan had radioed him to tell him that John was on his way back. The jumper had flown through almost nine hours ago for SGA-1 to wait out the water. It was annoying that they'd had to wait for the water to recede before they could come back.
The first thing Connor saw was Ronon as he ran through, Dr. McKay cradled in his arms followed by John and Teyla. Keller, who had been waiting off to the side, rushed forward with a gurney that Ronon placed McKay on. "How long has he been unresponsive?" She asked, already a flurry of motion.
"Since he fell asleep in the Jumper -- about nine hours." Teyla answered her.
"OK, let's get him to the Infirmary. I want him under a scanner. I wanna have a look at you guys too." Connor heard her say. John looked up and Connor briefly met his eyes.
"We're good." Ronon rumbled.
"By that, I mean now." Keller said firmly. They wheeled McKay away and John followed them with an apologetic look towards Connor. The linguist shrugged and offered John a small smile that the older man accepted happily.
"Connor!" Connor looked up to see Daniel leaning over the railing looking down at him. "Have a minute?" He yelled down. Connor nodded and Daniel hurried down the steps to his side. "Was that Colonel Sheppard's team?"
"Yeah. They were stuck off world for a while."
"Do you have some time to look at some stuff I've been working on?"
"Yeah. I, uh, finished that stuff we were working on, I emailed it to you…"
Daniel nodded as they began to walk towards his office. "Yeah, I got it. Thanks, it's a huge help."
"Are you, uh, settling in?" Despite the fact that he'd been on Atlantis for a year, Connor still wasn't good at small talk. When he'd told John that he'd spent all night before one of their jumper sessions thinking of small talk topics, the older man had laughed sadly and told Connor that he thought he'd done a good job and not to worry because everyone has different strengths.
"Yeah. Atlantis is amazing, I can't believe it took me so long to get here. There's so much history. I've been going through all the stuff you've been translating." Daniel said, looking at him. "I forget how fast you are…and how accurate."
Connor blushed. "Um, thanks."
"And the people here have been pretty welcoming. I was on the range the other day and a bunch of the guys remembered me."
"You're pretty hard to forget." Connor said softly.
Daniel grinned. "That's what Jack always said."
They reached Daniel's office and the older man quickly launched into an explanation of what he was hoping Connor could do. He talked so fast that the Irish man wasn't sure he caught it all.
"…okay?" Daniel asked, looking at Connor expectantly.
"Um," The linguist blinked. "Yeah, sure." He said hesitantly, not really positive about what he just agreed to.
The archeologist smiled. "Great." He patted Connor on the shoulder and the next thing Connor knew he was holding a huge stack of books and papers.
"Um, Daniel?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you email me everything you just said?"
"Sure." He grinned.
"Thanks."
Connor staggered out of the other man's office, and started down the hallway to the nearest transporter.
"Need some help with that, Doc?" Someone asked. Connor turned and saw Sgt. Jim Smith of SGA-4 walking towards him, arms reaching out. Just as Connor was about to refuse help the top three books slid off the pile and Jim gracefully caught them. "I'll take that as a yes." He grinned.
"Um, yes, thanks, Jim."
"No problem, Doc. These goin' to your office?"
"Yeah."
"Whatcha gonna do with them?" He asked as they waited for the next lift.
Connor looked at him helplessly. "I'm not entirely sure. Daniel was talking too fast and I agreed just to get out of the room."
Jim laughed. "Got it, Doc." He looked over at Connor as they stepped into the transporter, Atlantis already moving it. "We're gating out in a couple days, has Ben told you?"
Connor nodded. "I'll be there."
"Awesome." They stepped out onto Connor's level. "It's just not the same without you, Doc."
Connor blushed. "I, uh…"
Jim laughed, following him down the hallway. "So when you gonna join, make it official?"
"Sorry, Jim."
"Man, Doc, thought I had you there for a second." He said, referring to his ongoing quest to get Connor to join the team.
"Nope."
"I'll get you someday."
Connor smiled. "Maybe."
Jim looked at him. "What, really?" Connor shook his head. "Don't play with me like that, Doc." He said dramatically.
"Sorry." The linguist offered, not sorry at all. His door swished open as he entered, Jim close behind.
"You gonna have breakfast with us before we gate out? 0700?"
Connor groaned at the early hour. "Probably not."
"But you are going to eat, right?"
John, it seemed, had talked to everyone who had any chance of coming into contact with Connor about making him eat. "I'll eat."
"Good, good." Jim plopped the books down on to Connor's desk. He gave Connor a gentle slap on the back. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Doc."
"Bye, Jim." He said with a wave.
Connor heard his lab doors swish open and shut. He looked down at the books Daniel had given him and sighed. He set the off to the side of his desk, opening his laptop and biting his lip. A glance at his watch told him that John would probably still be down in the infirmary and Connor didn't want to hover.
"Hey, Doc?" Connor looked up to see a Marine hovering by his door.
"Sgt. Reynolds, um, hi. Can I, uh, do something for you?"
The other man flushed, embarrassed, then held out his laptop. "I think I might have broke it."
Connor smiled. That he could fix. "Let me see it." He reached out and the Marine walked towards him, offering the piece of equipment to him. "What's, uh, what's wrong with it?"
"I might have stepped on it." The other man said hesitantly.
Connor winced. "Might have?"
"Um, okay, definitely. I definitely stepped on it."
"And now it won't start?"
"It starts, but all I get is the blue screen of death."
"Hm. I can, uh, take a look at it, but you might need to get a new one."
"There are some really important files on there, Doc." Reynolds pleaded. "Pictures of my sister's kids and stuff like that."
"I might be able to, um, salvage your data, let me look at it for a couple days."
The Marine sighed in relief. "Thank you so much, Doc."
"Not a problem."
"No, really, you're a life saver."
Connor blushed. "Um, I just, ah, help where I can."
"It's more than that." Reynolds insisted. "You don't have to do this, help us, but you do."
The linguist blinked." You're welcome."
"I wanna kiss the Blarney Stone!" John proclaimed loudly as Connor locked the door to their hotel. It was almost two in the morning, him, John and Ronon had been out at a pub with only the latter two really drinking. Connor nursed his pint of Carlsburg all night long. They were still in Galway, so John and Ronon had tried to local draught, Hooker, and had about five pints each of it before Connor cut them off.
"Really?" He asked, turning around.
"I want the gift of…what gift do I get?" John asked, looking incredibly young to Connor. It had started raining by the time they escaped the pub and all three men had shown up back at their rooms soaking wet.
Connor rolled his eyes and stepped into the bathroom to get some towels. "Take your clothes off." He called to John. "And it's the gift of eloquence."
"Why, Dr. Davids," John drawled from the doorway, naked as the day he was born, "If you want to see me naked all you have to do is ask."
"Oh, gosh." Connor sighed. He threw a towel at John's head. "Dry off." Connor pulled the wet t-shirt plastered to his skin off and hung it on the shower curtain rod, followed by his pants and his boxers. "Where did you leave your clothes, John?"
John gestured to the main room. "Out there." He rubbed his towel up and down his body.
"You know locals piss on it."
"On what?" John asked, shaking the water from his hair.
Connor smiled and reached his own towel up to encompass John's head, scrubbing the water out. "The Blarney Stone." He answered.
John's voice was muffled when he answered, "Really?"
"That's the story anyway." Connor said lightly.
John shook the towel off his head and look at Connor, hair sticking up everywhere. "Really?"
Connor laughed. "That's what we tell the tourists, anyways. We'll have to catch a bus in the morning, then. It's a bit of a trip down."
"You can sleep on my shoulder." John offered and pulled Connor out of the bathroom. He leant in and kissed Connor then, tasking like the peanut-y Hooker beer he had been drinking.
"I need sleep." Connor protested, pulling back from John.
"Are you seriously passing up the chance at a blow-job for sleep?"
"That tour was really long today, John." The younger man said softly. "Lots of people."
"Ah." John wrapped an arm around Connor and pulled him down on to the bed. "How do you feel about sex at the bus station?"
Connor blushed. "Um, it's probably really gross."
"Tomorrow night then." John whispered into his ear, holding him tight. "I get you all night long."
"Alright."
But by the time the next night came around, both Connor and John were exhausted. They had taken Bus Éireann from Galway at nine am, arriving in Cork at half one. From there they had taken a bus up to Blarney Castle where they walked around the gardens and grounds of the castle before making the trip up to the Blarney Stone.
"What do you mean it's at the top?" John had asked, looking up at the stone building.
"You have to climb up some stairs to get there."
"Stairs?"
"Um, yeah. And they're a bit tricky." Connor offered.
"Tricky." John parroted, squinting in the sunlight.
"They're probably trip steps."
"Trip steps?" Ronon asked.
"Most castles have them." The linguist explained to them. "They're steps that aren't the same height or width so that invaders couldn't just, uh, run up them."
"And we are to climb those?" Teyla questioned.
Connor shrugged. "If you want to kiss the Blarney Stone."
So the foursome climbed the steep steps in the narrow, winding staircase.
"How much longer?" John groused.
"A few more levels."
"For reals?"
"Um, yeah."
"Alright."
After about ten minutes of climbing they reached the top and Connor loved the view. The grounds were so green, as much of Ireland was, and trees were scattered across them. He could see part of the city in the distance and imagined that if he really squinted he could see the ocean. John came up behind him, wrapping his arms around Connor's stomach and letting a hand drift under the younger man's shirt.
"It's beautiful." John breathed.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." John had loved his country from the very start and it only made the only man that much more endearing to Connor.
"Well, let's go get your gift of eloquence."
John kissed his cheek. "Alright. Where is it?"
Connor pointed to where a man was standing watching a woman lay down and bend over. "There."
"Oka--wait, what? What are they doing?"
"You have to bend backwards to get to the stone." Connor said dragging John who tugged on Teyla's sleeve as they passed.
"I have to what?"
Connor laughed. "Oh, hey, look they even wash it for you now. When I did it, no one did that." He offered, watching the worker wipe the stone after the woman kissed it. "And they take your picture."
"Picture?"
"Please, John?"
John sighed. "I don't know how I let you talk me into these things. Pictures." He grumbled.
Connor blushed. "Um…you're welcome?"
"Uh-huh."
Connor's lab was quiet when John finally made it there. No sounds of pages turning, pens scribbling on paper, the whir of computer fans. It was all eerily quiet. And dark.
"Connor?" John called softly. Atlantis didn't raise the lights for him and John assumed his boyfriend was sleeping somewhere in the room, either at his desk of on the couch. John headed for the desk first. He moved his hands around and hit nothing but air and, ouch, the back of Connor's chair. "Connor?" He called again, walking carefully to the other side of the room. His hands identified the small table with mugs and water bottles on it. John trailed over them to the left until he touched the back of the couch and his feet hit the bottom of it. He crouched down and reached out touching the soft, warm, lump under the blanket. He moved his hands up the body and felt Connor's head sticking out of the top, blanket pulled up to his eyes. "Connor?" He said, louder this time while giving his partner a small shake.
"Mmm, John?"
"Yeah." John said, gently combing his hands through the linguist's hair.
"Time 's it?" He asked, voice sleepy.
"Not that late…about eleven."
"At night?"
John chuckled lightly. "Yeah." He brushed his palm against Connor's forehead. "You tired?"
"Mmm." Connor sighed. Suddenly the younger man sat up and the lights came on. Connor blinked furiously, "Is Dr. McKay alright?"
John nodded. "He's fine. Keller's released him, couldn't find anything wrong."
"And you're alright?" The scientist asked, pressing a warm hand to John's chest.
"Yep. We're all fine."
"What about Dr. Nichols?"
"Him and his team are, surprisingly, fine as well."
"Really?"
"Really." John promised. "I just got out of the infirmary. What do you say to some dinner?"
"I ate."
"Really?" John asked skeptically.
"Yep."
"Then come have dessert." John enticed him with.
"Mmm, pudding?"
John groaned at the thought. "How about some ice cream tonight?"
"Okay." John stood up and offered his hand down to the younger man, who took it. He pulled Connor up softly, catching him as he found his balance. "How was your day?" John asked as they made their way to the food hub.
"Quiet."
"That's good." He smiled. "Do you ever miss the quiet?" He asked curiously.
"Yes." Connor answered without hesitation.
"Oh." And wow did that hurt more than John thought it would.
"I…John, it's just that…sometimes I need…"
"Space?" John suggested.
"Yeah. I'm not," He paused. "I'm not good with people."
"You're good with me." John promised.
Connor offered him a small smile. "Really?"
"Yes." The older man assured him.
John wasn't surprised to find Ronon and Teyla eating in the food hub, really the only place with food so late at night, but he was a bit surprised to see Keller and Lorne with them. John wanted to back out of the large room with his boyfriend and try to find leftovers in the kitchen. Unfortunately he was spotted first.
"John! Connor!" Teyla cried gently. She motioned them towards the table next to them. Lorne had already stood up and begun pulling it closer.
John nodded and he and Connor went to get their food. As they sat down, John next to Teyla and Connor next to Lorne, he glanced at his boyfriend's tray, finding a bowl full of a light pink ice cream.
"Strawberry?" John asked.
Connor shook his head. "Raspberry."
John really wanted to try some, as he's never had raspberry ice cream before, but Keller was already shooting them furious glances. "Ah. So, Lorne."
"Yes, sir?" His second in command looked up from his carrots.
"Next time, you get to go for a swim."
"Yes, sir." Lorne answered with a grin.
"I mean it." John warned. "I'm too old for this shit."
"Yes, sir," and that damned grin was still there.
"Our next planet better have good booze." John caught Connor grinning out of the corner of his eyes.
"Yes, sir."
"And hot natives."
"I'll see what I can do, sir." Lorne promised.
"You better." John said, poking his fork at the younger man. "And no flying monkeys."
"Yes, sir."
"And stop saying 'yes, sir'!"
"Yes, sir." Lorne repeated.
Connor let out a laugh and John gave him a wink. "So what did I miss today?"
Conversation started back up and John tucked in to his dinner. He had spaghetti and meat balls tonight with a side of snow peas and some sourdough bread. He slurped up his pasta as Keller went on about some sort of advancement she made, and John was pretty sure that only Connor and…he looked around…wait, Ronon? were paying attention. True enough, the Satedan seemed to be absorbing her words and every so often Keller would say something, Ronon would shoot Connor a look and the linguist would say something back in a different language. John was really starting to think he entered the twilight zone.
When Keller finished her story Ronon started in on how they kept entertained in the jumper while simultaneously worrying about Rodney. As soon as Rodney's name was mentioned, John saw his boyfriend tense up a little. He turned away from the conversation and focused on his ice cream. John nudged him with his foot a little and when Connor looked up he offered him a questioning gaze. Connor frowned and shook his head, implying nothing was wrong.
His eyes then drifted down to John's meal and the older man pushed his tray forward. Connor reached out and snagged a snow pea, munching quietly on it. John split a meatball in half before twirling pasta around his fork and stabbing the meat.
"So what was that thing you were doing with Ronon?" John asked as they walked back to their quarters.
"What thing?" The linguist replied softly.
"When Keller was talking…"
"Oh. I'm, uh, helping Ronon learn some of the medical stuff that Dr. Keller does and um, sometimes he doesn't understand the English words so I roughly translate them into Satedan."
"You speak Satedan?"
Connor shrugged uncomfortably. 'I picked it up along the way."
John shook his head and smiled. "You're too fucking smart for your own good." John said. "I've known Ronon for years and I didn't even know that he spoke another language."
"Teyla and Ronon speak…the trade language, but both of their cultures have their own language."
"Really?" John asked puzzled. "Wow, learn something everyday."
"Well, some of us do." Connor said with a grin.
"I learn things!" John protested. Connor looked at him. "I do!"
"Uh-huh."
"What happened to respect 'til death do us part?"
"We haven't taken any vows yet." Connor offered.
"Well I think that should be one of them."
"Sure, John."
"Are you humoring me?"
Connor gave a look of mock surprise. "Would I do that to you?"
They reached Connor's quarters, stepping inside, doors closing behind them.
"Yes." John answered, unbuckling his belt.
Connor grinned. "I think all relationships need respect."
John pulled his shirt over his head. "Mm hmm." He glanced over at Connor, the linguist was kicking off his shoes. John walked over and wrapped his arms around the younger man from the back. He tucked his head next to Connor's neck, inhaling the scent of the warm skin.
"How do I smell?" Connor teased lightly.
"Wonderful." John answered.
Connor leaned his had back on John's shoulder. "I'm going off world in a couple days with Ben's team."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Will you have some breakfast with me then?"
"Yeah." John sighed happily. He poked his tongue out and licked the side of Connor's neck.
"John!" The linguist laughed. "Stop that! I need to shower."
"Mine." John said, possessively and bit his neck lightly.
"So you're a vampire now?"
"Mm hmm." The older man hummed. "Can I shower with you?" He whispered into Connor's ear.
"Um…yes." Connor breathed. "Yes, please."
"Are you going to join Ramsey's team?" John asked quietly as Connor traced pictures on his chest.
"No."
They were in bed somewhere in Ireland, John had forgotten the name of the town. "You go out with them a lot."
"I go out with them on about 14 percent of their missions."
"Is that it?"
"Yeah."
"Oh. Seems like more."
Connor laughed softly. "Jim keeps asking. I think he thinks that one day I'll cave."
"Won't you?"
"Not as long as you're still around."
"Connor." John said quietly.
"Hm?"
"If this is what you want, then I think you should join."
"It's not what I want." The younger man assured him.
"Maybe you don't know that you want it."
"And maybe I know that I don't." The linguist countered. "I've weighed the pros and cons, John. You worry about me enough as it is, you don't need the added stress of me going off world all the time."
"I don't want to stop you from doing things, Con."
"I know."
John ran a hand through Connor's locks, damp from their recent shower. "Ramsey's team is safer than mine." John finally said.
"I know."
"Less front line stuff."
"I know."
"So there's less to worry about."
"In theory." Connor agreed.
"But you're still not going to join?"
"Nope."
"Ever?"
"Not as long as you're around." He repeated.
John tightened his hold on the younger man. "Okay." He said. "I can live with that."
"Good." Connor trailed a hand down John's chest to more sensitive areas. He scooted down out of John's reach, his face hovering to the side of John's hip. "John?"
"Hm?" Connor gestured towards John's lap. "Um," John drawled breathless, "Yes. Yes, please."
Connor bent his head closer.
Connor's mission to M3X-119 went the way that he wished all missions would go. They went, found ruins, explored, found information, and came home. Safely. Although Jim did throw a rock at Eric which resulted in a rock fight that Connor excused himself from. Both of them were sure to have a couple bruises from that.
"You're back."
Connor frowned at the voice and looked up. Dr. McKay was hovering above him. "Uh, yeah." He answered quietly.
"Look…Connor," McKay said, shifting back and forth. "I just wanted to say sorry for being so mean to you all the time. But since we're dating each others best friends--"
"Evan's my best friend." Connor cut in.
Just like before McKay kept going. " I think we should put the past behind us and be friends too." He offered his hand out for Connor to shake. "What do you say?"
"Are you feeling alright, Dr. McKay?"
"What? Oh, um, yes, perfectly fine. Nothing wrong." He quick to assure. He jiggle his outstretched hand at Connor a little. "Friends?"
"Um, sure." Connor slowly took the proffered hand and gave it a quick shake before letting go.
"Good, good." McKay said. He stood there staring at Connor.
"Uh, anything else you need?"
"What? No. Sorry, just, ah, lost in thought, you know how it goes." Connor stared at him. "So cool, we're all good now." He smiled. "Well, see you later, friend." He said with a quick wink and left Connor's lab.
Two hours later, tucked into bed with John, Connor was still thinking about the odd conversation. "John?"
"Hm?"
"Did you notice anything different about Dr. McKay today?"
"Rodney?" John paused. "No, why?"
"He came to my lab earlier and apol-apologized."
"He said he was going to." John reminded him.
"We already talked before that."
"He apologized twice?"
Connor winced in the dark. "He didn't exactly apologize the first time."
"So the first time you just…talked?"
Something like that. "Yeah."
"Oh. Hm. I don't know. He seemed fine to me."
"I think something's wrong with him." Connor said softly. "Maybe you should have Keller check him out."
"She did yesterday and he didn't go anywhere he could have picked up something today."
Connor bit his lip. "Alright."
Lips pressed against his head. "Go to sleep."
"John?" Connor persisted.
"Yeah?"
"What kind of car do you drive?"
"You mean, did I drive? Not the car I wanted, that's for sure. I drove a little Rabbit in high school, fixed it up myself."
"And since then?"
"Whatever cars they had on base to lend out." John told him. "How come you don't drive?"
"I had my board and a bike in Ireland and then I moved to the States when I was twenty-one and we lived really close to my old uni, so I rode my bike there too and then when I got to Colorado I just lived on base and caught a ride with someone if I needed to go out for something."
"And?" John asked intuitively.
"And after the car accident when I was twelve," He felt John's hand move to his shoulder to trace the scar there, "I was a bit, um, scared of driving or riding in cars."
"Was it bad?"
"Ruined the car." Connor told him quietly. "Me mum got a concussion, da broke his arm."
"What happened?"
"Usual case in Ireland, drink driving."
"Don't you mean drunk driving?"
Connor frowned. "No, drink driving."
"Another weird Irish phrase."
"Better than you lot." Connor teased. "Pop a cap in your ass?"
John moaned. "It just sounds so wrong with your accent."
"What if I said…pop a cap in your arse?"
"That's even worse." The older man groaned.
Connor laughed. "I guess I shall refrain from saying it then."
"Please do."
"So," John said, after a moment of silence. "Any more random questions?"
Connor blushed in the dark. "Not tonight."
"Good. Sleep." John ordered.
"Connor! Connor!" John said urgently. "Wake up, please." He pleaded. "Connor." He shook the linguist's body.
"John! No!" Connor mumbled, tears were leaking out of his eyes already.
"Connor, wake up." He ordered. "Wake up, now."
"Stop it! Don't touch him!"
"Connor, I'm fine. I'm right here, you just need to wake up." John pulled Connor's body up and the older man leaned back against the headboard of their bed with Connor cradled in his arms. "Connor, wake up."
"John!"
"Connor!"
"John?" Connor asked weakly and John sighed in relief as he saw two blue eyes open and find his.
"I'm right here." John said, hugging the younger man tighter in his arms, rocking them back and forth. "I'm right here." He murmured. Connor cried silently into John's neck and John gently maneuvered him into a more comfortable position where Connor faced John, sitting on his thighs, knees by John's hips and ankles by John's knees. Connor leaned forward and John could feel moisture on his skin as he gently soothed his boyfriend. They had one day left of their vacation and Connor hadn't had a nightmare in days. "Wanna talk about it?" John asked softly.
"N-not real-ly." Connor answered, fisting the front of John's shirt in his hand.
"Okay." John ran a soothing hand up and down his partner's back while the other cupped his bottom, keeping him in place. "You don't have to."
"I'm sor-ry." Connor choked out.
"Why are you sorry?" He asked gently.
"I always…I always wake you up."
John sighed. No matter how many times he told the younger man he didn't mind, Connor still had problems with it. He began to wonder if his parents did. "I don't mind, Con. Not for you."
Connor drew in a shaky breath and John felt him struggling to control his breathing. "I'm still sorry."
"I accept your apology." John said softly in his ear. "Let's just have tomorrow for the two of us, okay?" They were back in Colorado Springs, but not at Cheyenne Mountain, John had gotten them a hotel room about thirty minutes from the base.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. I want you all to myself. Ronon and Teyla will have to live with it."
"Al-alright."
"Good." John said, still rocking him gently. "Do you want to go back to sleep." Connor tensed in his arms. "Or not." John soothed. "We can stay awake."
"Tell me a story." Connor pleaded softly.
John thought for a second. "Did I ever tell you about when Cadman and McKay got stuck in McKay's body?"
"No."
"Well, it all started on this planet with nice yellow flowers…"
"Rodney?" Eric asked, gently pushing the other man. "Rodney."
"What? I'm trying to sleep, Eric."
"It's almost noon, Rodney." He said gently.
"What?" The astrophysicist asked, sitting up. "Noon?"
"Yeah." Rodney moved his legs over the side of the bed and stood up quickly. He grabbed the nearest clothes, pulling them on. "Rodney?"
"What?!"
"Those are, uh, my pants."
Eric watched as Rodney looked down at the black pants around his ankle. "Oh." He pulled them back off and threw them across the room. "Thanks."
Eric frowned. "Don't mention it." He said, handing the older man his pants. "Is everything alright, Rodney?"
"What? Yes, I'm fine."
"You're usually up for hours by now."
"Well, Sheppard's usually bothering me about something." Rodney explained, heading for the bathroom, the door shut and a minutes later Eric heard the whoosh of the Ancient toilets and the sink began to run.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Eric asked when Rodney exited the small room a couple minutes later.
"I'm sure." Rodney said. He reached out an pulled Eric in for a soft kiss. "Thanks for waking me up." He pulled away and grabbed his jacket. "Have dinner with me?"
"Sure." Eric said confused.
"Thanks, see you then!" Rodney called over his shoulder, dashing out of the room leaving Eric standing in his empty quarters.
That was weird, Eric thought, really weird. He thought for a second and, mind made up, he left his room and made for the nearest lift. A few minutes later he arrived at Colonel Sheppard's office. He ring the chime.
"Come in."
"Sir." Eric said, entering with a salute. Major Lorne was at Sheppard's desk and the Colonel was sitting across from him. They both returned his salute.
"What can I do for you, Corporal?" Lorne asked.
"Um, sir I was hoping to talk to Colonel Sheppard." He said, turning to face the other man.
Sheppard gave Lorne a smirk and turned towards Eric. "Yeah?"
"Is everything alright with Dr. McKay?"
Sheppard frowned. "You know you're the second person to ask me that in the past twelve hours." Eric wasn't sure what to say to that, but Sheppard went on. "He's fine."
"With all due respect, sir, he's acting a little weird. I think something might be wrong with him."
Sheppard looked at him, studying his face. "And why might that be?"
"He seemed…nicer."
The Colonel snorted. "And that's a problem?"
Eric sighed inwardly. "I guess not, sir." Except that he liked Rodney as he was.
"I'll look into it, Corporal."
That was a dismissal if Eric ever heard one. "Thank you, sir." He offered a salute that Sheppard barely returned befoe exiting.
John turned to Lorne. "You know Connor asked the same thing last night."
"Really, sir?" Lorne asked with a frown.
"Indicated that Rodney was being nice or something."
"Do you think something is wrong with him?"
"From the planet?"
"Yes, sir."
John thought for a moment. "I don't know, but maybe I should get Keller to run another scan."
"Couldn't hurt, sir." Lorne replied.
"Okay."
John stood and Lorne didn't bother to salute him as he left. I knew I liked him. John hurriedly made his way to McKay's lab. When he got there it was quiet, Rodney wasn't yelling or throwing things or any of the other actions he was prone to. In fact, when the doors opened, Rodney was smiling and whomever he was talking to was nodding happily.
"Rodney." John said as he got closer.
"Oh hey, John. What's up?"
John? Rodney had called him that before, but never so casually. Maybe Connor and Johns are right. "Can you take a break?"
"I'm working on something." He said, sounding more like the old McKay.
"It's important."
Rodney sighed and saved something on his computer, shooing away whomever he was talking to. "Fine." John grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the lab. "Gee, Sheppard, you don't have to man handle me. I can walk by myself you know."
"I know you can, buddy." John said, waving his hand in front of the transporter doors. He ushered Rodney inside and hit the level for Keller's lab.
"Where are we going?" Rodney asked, pulling his arm away from John's grip.
"Somewhere." John pushed Rodney gently out of the lift and maneuvered him down the hall.
"Something up with Keller?"
"Yeah, she just needs to ask you something."
"You could have said that." He said.
"Sure."
They entered the bright room and a nurse was bustling around but other than that the room was deserted. "Dr. Keller?"
A few seconds later a blonde head, followed by her body, popped out of her lab. "Colonel Sheppard, Dr. McKay." She smiled. "What can I do for you?"
"Can you give Rodney another body scan?"
"What? Sheppard! No way." Rodney said, pulling away.
"C'mon, Rodney, it'll take two minutes."
Keller looked between them. "Sure."
"Rodney?" John asked.
The other man sighed. "Fine, whatever, just be quick about it."
Keller hit a few keys on the computer and Rodney laid down on the scanner bed. John hovered next to Keller. "So what are we looking for, Colonel?"
"Uh, brain, I think." John said quietly, running a hand through his hair.
Keller looked at him shocked as she started the machine. "You think there's something wrong with his brain?" She whispered.
"What are you saying about me?" Rodney asked, annoyed.
"Nothing." John assured him. "Yes." Is what he said quietly to Keller.
"I don't know how something would have missed the sca--oh my, God." She said softly.
"What's that?" John asked, pointing to a small mass in Rodney's brain.
"Something that's definitely not supposed to be there." She studied the scan more. "It looks operable if we move now…" She turned away from John. "Lennings?!" She yelled over her shoulder. A male nurse came bustling out of the office.
"Yes, Dr. Keller?"
"Set up the OR immediately."
"Yes, Dr. Keller." He said, already moving.
"What's wrong?" Rodney asked sitting up. "Sheppard?! Keller?!"
"There's a small…growth on the right side of your brain."
"A growth?" John looked at Rodney and he looked like he was starting to panic. He quickly closed the distance between him and his best friend and reached out a comforting hand to his shoulder.
"It's gonna be fine, Rodney, Keller will take care of it."
"John?" Rodney asked quietly and John could barely hear him. The previously empty infirmary had sprung a growth of people moving everywhere. There was a nurse behind Rodney already tugging at his clothes. Rodney's blue eyes pleaded to John and suddenly he knew what his friend wanted.
"I'll get him, Rodney." He said gently as Rodney's shirt was tugged off over his head.
"Hurry." Rodney urged as a surgical gown was thrust at him and the curtains closed around his bed.
"I will." John promised, moving out of the curtain so Rodney could get dressed. "Sheppard to Johns." He waited a second and called again when he heard no reply. "Sheppard to Johns."
"Colonel Sheppard? This is Lt. Ramsey, Eric's in the middle of something--"
"I need him in the infirmary now." John said cutting Ramsey off.
"Of course, sir." Ramsey said immediately. John heard him calling at Johns to get to the infirmary. "Is everything alright, Colonel?"
"It's fine. I need him for something. Sheppard out." John thought the best thing about being top dog was not having to explain your self to anyone.
Two minutes later Johns ran into the infirmary. At this point, Rodney was already being scrubbed down for surgery and Keller had changed, along with the rest of the staff. Johns was shirtless as he ran in, sweat everywhere. "Colonel Sheppard?"
John approached him and stood close so he could talk quietly. "There's a growth on Rodney's brain, they're going to do surgery to remove it. He wants to see you."
Johns face held a mixture of fear and worry. "Of course, sir."
John led him over to Rodney's bed where the nurses had abandoned him just a second before to finish setting up. John pulled the curtain around them and watched as Eric automatically grabbed Rodney's hand, curling his fingers around it.
"Hey." Rodney said, looking at him.
"Hey." Johns answered. John suddenly felt like a spectator and ducked out of the curtain, keeping watch when something else occurred to him.
"Sheppard to Teyla."
"Yes, John?"
"Rodney's about to go into surgery, so if you want to see him--"
"On my way." She said, cutting him off. "Ronon is with me as well." He could hear her running as she said that.
"Got it. Sheppard out."
"It'll be okay, Rodney." He heard softly. "You'll be fine. Keller will fix you up."
"What if…"
"Shh. You'll be fine, right as rain, okay? No negative thoughts."
"Have you met me?" Rodney asked and John snorted.
"I'll think positive thoughts for the both of us."
"Okay."
Ronon and Teyla chose that moment to burst into the infirmary. They walked quickly towards John who held a finger to their lips, telling them to be quiet for a second.
"I love you." John heard quietly.
"Eric, I--"
"Shh, tell me later."
"But what if--?"
"Positive thoughts, Rodney." Johns said in a firm voice.
"McKay?" John called. "Teyla and Ronon are here."
"Really? Oh, yeah, sure."
John opened the curtain up and the two men were separated again and Ronon and Teyla quickly moved to Rodney's side.
"What did you do this time, McKay?" Ronon asked, giving the astrophysicist a bump on the shoulder.
"Hey! This wasn't my fault." Rodney protested.
"Uh-huh."
"Ronon." Teyla chastised. "We will be waiting for you when you come out, Rodney." She said warmly.
"Really?"
"Of course." Teyla assured him. "There is no place we would rather be."
"Dr. McKay?" A nurse asked from behind them. "Are you ready?"
John watched as Rodney shot one last look at Corporal Johns before nodding to the nurse. His bed was wheeled away from them and they were left standing there.
Then suddenly it hit John hard. His best friend was about to have brain surgery, and as comforting as Keller had been, there was still always the risk of death. He had never wanted Connor next to him more in his life.
"John?" A voice asked with uncertainty behind him.
John whirled around and standing there, looking uncomfortable and awkward was his somehow mind-reading partner, tugging on the sleeves of his jacket. "Connor." He sighed happily. John took the three steps that separated them and pulled the younger man into a hug. Connor returned it gently. "How did you know?" John whispered in the linguist's ear.
Connor shrugged under his arms. "Atlantis."
"Of course." John breathed in Connor's scent, burying his face in the smaller man's hair. "He's in surgery. There's some kind of…growth on his brain." Connor squeezed him tighter. "I should have listened to you."
"You got to him in time." Connor whispered soothingly and John wondered exactly how Atlantis was filling in the blanks for his partner and if he should be worried. "He'll be fine."
"How did you know?" John asked pulling back, his arms loosely around Connor's waist.
The linguist look at something over John's shoulder as an unknown emotion flashed through his eyes. "He called me 'Connor'."
"Oh, Con." John said sadly. "I'm sorry."
Connor re-focused on John's face. "It's alright. It helped you, right?"
"Yeah, you and that Corporal of yours." John said softly.
"How long will this take?" Ronon asked, breaking through their conversation.
John quickly remembered that they were in the infirmary where anyone could walk in. With one last tiny caress he pulled his arms away from Connor. He took a deep breath, putting his emotions aside for later before turning around his normal smile. "A couple hours, I think, Chewie." He looked at Connor. "How long was yours?"
The linguist shrugged. "Eric?"
John glanced over at the corporal in the corner. "About two and a half hours." Johns said softly. "But his is different from yours."
"Yeah." Connor agreed quietly. He closed his eyes softly before opening them. "They've already started." He said softly. "Keller's already, ah, drilling."
"We're gonna talk about this little love affair Atlantis seems to be having with you, later." John told the younger man quietly.
Connor nodded. "I…is it alright if I go stand with Eric for a little while?"
John wanted to say 'Hell, no, it's not alright. I need you here, with me, stay, stay, stay', instead he just nodded stiffly and Connor brushed gently past him to walk over to the corporal. His partner said something to the younger man who nodded and Connor pulled him into a tight hug. John found himself fighting down jealousy at Connor's arms wrapped around a shirtless corporal. John glanced around the room and spotted a scrub top folded on a chair. He walked over and grabbed it throwing it towards the two men. Connor shot him an annoyed look but John shrugged innocently as Johns pulled on the shirt.
"Thank you, sir."
"So…we wait?" Ronon asked, taking a seat.
"We wait." John agreed.
"Well, let's go!"
"Chewie!" John yelled after him as the Satedan raced past the line to Splash Mountain. "Ronon!"
The bigger man stopped. "What?"
"There's a line." John said, indicating the people Ronon had just passed.
"What's a line?" Ronon asked, walking back towards him, Connor and Teyla.
"Like in the mess hall…where you have to wait for food, you have to wait to get on the ride."
"I'm not waiting."
"Yes, you are." John said sternly.
"It's gonna take forever." Ronon whined, sounding more his age than John had ever heard him.
"It'll take fifteen minutes."
"So what do we do in line?"
"We wait." John told him.
"That's it?"
"Yes, that's it."
"So Rodney's fine?"
"Rodney's fine."
"And you?"
"I'm almost fine."
"Can I help?"
"You already are."
"Oh."
"So tell me about Atlantis."
"You know about Atlantis."
"Not like you do."
"When I first came it felt like home."
"And now?"
"Now, you feel like home."
"Does she talk to you?"
"Yeah."
"And you let her?"
"She doesn't force it on me."
"I'm worried about you."
"Don't be. She'll keep me safe."
"It's her I'm worried about."
"Atlantis…likes me, John."
"I know."
"She likes you, too."
"I know."
"…"
"So how do you feel about wearing rings?"
"Can we? John?"
"Well, we have these nifty ring holders around our neck."
"They even match."
"Yes, they do."
"…I have rings."
"…"
"I picked them up when we were on Earth. I have my father's and my, um, mother's father's."
"Your grandfather's."
"Yeah. I thought you could, um, wear that one."
"I…"
"I mean you don't have to. I'm sure Teyla knows a place wher--"
"I would love to."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"I…we can wear them in here, right, in our room?"
"Yes. God, yes."
"John?"
"Hm?"
"Tá grá agam duit, a chuisle."
"I love you, too, Connor, always remember that."
"I will, I promise."
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, John."