Becoming Connor Davids
Chapter 49 : Answers
Author's Notes :
- Don't own In Bruges or Minority Report or iPod.
- Nil is Irish for 'no'. Sorta. It gets complicated.
- Mark and Emery first appeared in chapter 42.
- Thanks to SanctumSyte for help with the medical aspects of this chapter.
- Edited Content is available on my listed homepage.
BETA : JackD
"Hey, let's go swimming."
Connor looked at Eric curiously. "Instead of working out?"
"Yeah." Eric nodded.
"Okay." Connor agreed softly. "My suit's in my room though."
"Go get it, I'll meet you there."
Connor nodded and offered Eric a wave as he got back into the transporter. It only took a moment to go up to the level his quarters were on. Eric's quarters were much closer to the pool so Connor hurried so he wouldn't keep Eric waiting too long. Once in his room he dug through his drawers trying to find where John had stuffed their swim trunks. He pulled out some dark blue ones and wasn't sure whose they were. Connor figured John wouldn't care if they were his, so he unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down, pulling his swim trunks on instead.
He bent down and looked through the bottom drawer, full of shoes. John had some flip-flops in there and Connor pulled them out.
"Davids to Sheppard."
"Sheppard here. Shouldn't you be working out right about now?"
Connor could hear the smile in his husband's voice.
"We're going swimming instead. Can I borrow your shoes?"
"Swimming? And sure."
"Yeah. Eric wants to swim for a while."
"Don't go overdoing it, Con."
Connor smiled. The day John stopped worrying about him was the day Connor shipped his husband to the infirmary to find out what was wrong with him. "I won't."
"Okay." John sounded skeptical.
"I promise."
"Uh-huh."
"Okay, I'm going now."
"Be careful!"
"Davids out."
Connor rolled his eyes but grinned as he slipped on John's shoes. He snagged two clean towels, one for him and one for Eric in case the other man forgot one, and headed out the door.
Eric was already swimming when Connor entered the pool room.
"How's the water?" Connor asked, toeing off John's flip-flops and pulling off his shirt.
"Great." Eric answered with a slight smile.
Connor left the towels, shirt, shoes, and dog tags in a pile off to the side and then dipped a toe into the water. It was definitely warm, warm enough that Connor felt like diving in. He walked around to the deep end of the pool and reached his arms over his head before smoothly diving in.
The water was even better than expected and it was without the sting of chlorine that most pools on Earth had. Atlantis kept it clean some other way, leaving the water crisp, clean and perfect for swimming in. Connor loved it but he and John had only managed to make it out here a few times.
Eric was swimming laps back and forth, and activity that Connor would normally had joined him in, but his ribs ached a little and he had promised John he would take it easy. So Connor swam somewhat leisurely from one end to the other, mostly underwater without making any big movements. Every once in a while Eric would swim past him and poke an arm or something. Once he managed to brush a hand against Connor's stomach and Connor laughed at the ticklish feeling.
Connor dove a little bit under water and did a neat somersault. He used to do them on the ground with his martial arts classes but hadn't done some in a while. He made a mental note to step his workout routine back up. For the most part he did less of everything now that he had John to keep him busy. Connor didn't regret it at all.
He emerged from the bottom and took a deep breath. Eric swam past him and Connor reached out to gently whack the top of his friend's head. In response, Eric pulled on Connor's arm, pulling him back under the water. Connor came back up laughing and Eric paused in his laps to grin at Connor.
"You're trouble, Doc." He said fondly.
Connor grinned while treading water. "John still loves me."
Eric rolled his eyes. "John would still love you if you turned into some kind of psychotic murderer."
Connor paused and tilted his head in thought. "You think so?"
"Oh yeah. He'll be with you till the end."
Connor laughed lightly. "I'm not sure if that's reassuring or not."
"I think you guys would make a great Bonnie and Clyde." Eric commented lightly. Connor could see a sparkle of humor in his eyes.
"And who would be who?"
"I think John would make a great Bonnie," Eric said seriously, eyes twinkling.
Connor nodded and tried not to laugh. "He would look better in a dress."
Eric's eyes met his and a second later Connor burst out laughing, Eric's silent chuckles joined his. It was refreshing to see his friend laugh, something Eric did so little of. Finally the laughter died down and Eric shot Connor a small smile.
"You have to promise that if that ever happens… there will be pictures."
Connor laughed again. "We'll see." He swam towards the edge and carefully eased himself up, making sure not to hit his ribs against the side of the pool.
"You leaving me?" Eric asked, treading water towards the center of the pool.
"I need to use the toilet." Connor explained.
"You know most people call it the bathroom."
"But I'm not going to take a bath…" Connor replied with a bit of puzzlement.
"Is this an Irish thing?" Eric asked.
"It's an accuracy thing." Connor stood up and quickly located his towel. He slid his feet into John's shoes, pulled on his shirt and turned back to Eric. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
Eric mock saluted him. "Roger that."
Connor hurried away from the pool. He thought he probably shouldn't have had that second cup of tea with lunch. Or that cup of tea between breakfast and lunch. Or the cup of tea after lunch. He definitely blamed John for at least three of those. John kept pushing a full mug into his hands and Connor wasn't even paying attention when he accepted them. Connor reached up and felt empty air where his dog tags and wedding ring usually rested. It was unsettling not to have them around his neck.
He hurried back to his quarters to use the toilet. Early on restrooms had been available in various parts of the city but then Rodney had put his foot down on unnecessary energy usage and told everyone not to be lazy and make the hike to their quarters. It wasn't very efficient and the pool wasn't that close to a transporter so Connor bounced a little in the few seconds it took for the lift to arrive at his level. He hurried into his quarters to relieve his bladder.
When he finished he gave a soft sigh and then washed his hands. His hair dripped all over the sink and the floor and small water droplets were making their way down his back. He wished he'd stopped to grab his shirt.
Connor shuffled back into the transporter and was back on the pool level before he could think about how annoying Rodney's restroom rule was or how chafing wet swim shorts were against his skin.
A second before he entered the large room that housed the pool a shiver ran up Connor's back and the hair on his neck stood up. He tried to shrug off the feeling but the further into the room he walked, the worse it got.
The first thing he noticed was how quiet it was. He couldn't hear Eric swimming.
The second thing he noticed was a streak of red in the pool water. His eyes followed it to the bottom and Connor tossed his towel away before diving in. Eric's body was limply resting on the bottom of the pool and Connor swam rapidly downwards towards him. He wasn't moving and Connor soon realized that the red streak had been blood. It seemed to be emanating from a cut on Eric's head, but for now, that was the least of Connor's worries.
He reached Eric's body and quickly slipped an arm around his friend's waist before pushing off the bottom back up towards the surface. The second they surfaced, Connor's legs began swimming and one arm paddled, trying to pull his and Eric's weight towards the edge of the pool, several feet away.
"Atlantis!" Connor gasped out. "I need a channel to…" Some water trickled into his mouth and Connor spit it out before taking another breath. He wasn't moving very fast, and Eric wasn't moving at all. "To… John!"
Connor wasn't sure why he asked for John. Intellectually he knew that he should have asked for Keller, but his stomach was hurting and his arm was tired and all he could think about was John. He felt a tickle at the back of his mind and Connor knew that the connection had been raised.
"John!" He said as loud as he could. "John!"
It took a second but then his husband's voice responded, shaking and with heavy breaths. "Connor? What's wrong? Are you still at the pool?"
"Yes…" He spit some more water out. "I need help. Get… Keller…"
That was all he could get out as more water filled his mouth. Connor couldn't concentrate on getting Eric out of the water and talking to John.
"Connor?" Came over the pool room's speakers but Connor had to ignore it. "Connor?!"
"Can't… talk…"
The edge was still about thirty feet away. Connor had to take Eric up the stairs because there was no way to pull him up over the side of the pool. His mind briefly thought that this was nothing like it seemed in the movies. This was harder and Eric's life really was at stake because Connor couldn't feel him breathing at all.
John was pretty sure he had never run as fast in his life as he was now. Lorne was on his heels and giving stilted directions to the infirmary. John pushed out of the transporter and ran down the hallway to the pool. He arrived in time to see Connor hauling a body behind him towards the shallow end. John didn't waste anytime before jumping into the pool a few feet away from his husband.
Connor's eyes met his and there was a huge look of relief on the younger man's face, along with a small amount of pain. John swam over, feeling his boots slow him down, and then took Johns from Connor. Lorne was waiting at the nearest edge for them and John paddled over before pushing the unconscious man in his arms up. Lorne grabbed a hold and lifted him out of the water. By the time John had hauled himself out of the pool, Lorne had Johns on his back and was beginning CPR.
John had never used his CPR training before and it was scary as hell to think he would need it now. Lorne pumped on Johns' chest and John pinched the corporal's nose shut before breathing in after five pumps. Then they did it again. And again. And John wondered where the fuck the med team was.
He heard Connor get out of the water behind him and John was too busy to tell Connor that he shouldn't be watching. Johns was dead, for all intents and purposes, CPR was a final Hail Mary.
"One… two… eight… nine… fourteen… fifteen…"
John breathed twice.
"One… two… eight… nine… fourteen… fifteen… breathe…"
John breathed twice.
He heard Connor leave and then voices got closer.
"Colonel Sheppard! How long has he been unresponsive?" Keller asked, falling to her knees next to John. A nurse pushed John and Lorne out of the way and John stood up watching them. Another nurse crouched down until Johns' body was surrounded by medical personnel.
John looked at Connor for the answer.
Connor shrugged and wrapped his arms around himself. "Minutes." Connor whispered.
"How many?" Keller demanded. "Bag him!" She said to someone else.
Connor shook his head and he looked so lost and confused that John wanted to pull him into his arms and never let go. "I… I don't… I don't know… I went--went to the rest-restroom and c-came back…" His teeth were chattering and Connor's breathing was erratic. "I… maybe three minutes?"
Keller nodded and suddenly everyone stood up, Johns' body went up with them before being settled on a stretcher. John could only watch as they wheeled away, running from the room with the stretcher between them.
"J-John?" Connor said softly.
John turned to look at his husband, shivering and with arms wrapped around himself. There was no one else there except for Lorne so John crossed the few feet between them and pulled Connor into his arms. A small voice said that John probably shouldn't be hugging Connor in wet clothes, the younger man was already cold enough, but John couldn't stop. Connor was holding onto him so tightly that if John let go he thought his husband might collapse.
"I've got you." John whispered as he gently swayed back and forth, holding Connor close. "Shh, Con… I've got you."
"He wasn't… wasn't breathing, John."
John swallowed. "I know."
"He was so still."
"I know."
"And cold." Connor pulled back and looked at John, a look of pure anguish on his face. "He was so cold, John."
"It's just the water," John soothed.
Connor shook his head. "No, the water's warm. Eric--Eric was cold."
"Shh." John said, pulling Connor back against him. "You can't think like that, Con okay? You need to be strong."
Connor fingers gripped John's wet shirt and Connor nodded against John's chest. "Okay."
"Okay."
They stood like that for a few more minutes and John felt a towel drape over both of them and gave Lorne a grateful smile.
"Let's get you warmed up, Connor." John said quietly.
"I want to go to the infirmary."
"We can go after. You're shivering… you need to warm up," John whispered. He pulled back and looked at Connor, tucking a piece of wet hair behind his husband's ear. "It'll only take a few minutes and then we can go. Lorne's going to go now and he'll tell us the second he knows something, okay?"
Connor's eyes flickered to Lorne who offered the younger man a reassuring smile and a nod.
"Someone needs to tell Rodney," Connor said quietly.
"We can tell him when we have something to tell," John said. "Otherwise he'll just panic and distract Keller."
Connor swallowed and nodded. "You're right, I don't--I don't know what I was thinking." He blinked rapidly.
John wrapped an arm around Connor's waste as he accepted the second towel from Lorne. Lorne dropped John's shoes in front of Connor and Connor absently stepped into them. John thought his husband might be going into shock. Lorne handed John a set of dog tags and John took them. The major also had another pile of clothing in his hands that John thought probably belonged to Johns based on the set of BDU pants sticking out.
"I'll be in the infirmary, sir."
John nodded. "Thank you, Major."
"Yes, sir."
With a worried glance in Connor's direction, Lorne left them alone.
"C'mon dry clothes and then we can…" John trailed off. He was going to say that when Connor finished they could go see Corporal Johns but John knew that there was a good chance that Johns wouldn't make it. "Then we can go. I'm sure Keller doesn't want us dripping all over her floor."
Connor nodded stiffly and let John lead him out of the room.
Evan jogged to the infirmary and found a flurry of action happening in the large room. Nurses were running everywhere, voices were loud, medical supplies were being rushed back and forth. It gave Evan a small sliver of hope. They wouldn't be rushing if they didn't think they could save Johns. So he waited. And tried to forget the awful, broken look on Connor's face.
"Lorne to Teyla."
There was a slight delay and then, "Teyla here. Is there something I can help you with, Evan?" She asked softly, her voice was strong and beautiful.
"Are you busy right now?"
"I am available for a short while." She answered without pause.
"Can you come to the infirmary?" Evan asked softly.
"Of course. I am on my way. Teyla out."
Evan felt cold as he stood there and suddenly became aware that half of his clothes were damp from hauling Johns out of the water. When Evan closed his eyes he could feel the cold skin of Johns' chest underneath his hands and he pushed down, trying to pump the other man's heart. Evan had performed CPR a few times before, twice with success and once… once the person was already too far gone. If Connor's estimated time was right, John might have been to far gone before they had ever pulled him out of the water.
"Evan?"
Evan turned to see Teyla behind him, a question in her eyes. He gaze flickered to the chaos of people in the infirmary.
"Connor went swimming with Corporal Johns… as far as I can tell, Connor went to the bathroom and when he came back, Johns was on the bottom of the pool."
Teyla's breath hitched as her eyes widened, searching Evan's.
"How is Connor?" She asked softly.
"Colonel Sheppard took him back to his room to change clothes." Evan told her quietly. "He jumped in to get Johns while he was dressed. Colonel Sheppard did also, for that matter."
"So they will be here shortly?"
"Yeah. You got here much faster than I thought you would." Evan admitted.
"I was already on my way to meet Jennifer for lunch." She replied, answering his unspoken question. "I was a bit early."
Evan wormed an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. She was warm and Evan could almost forget how cold Johns had been.
John rubbed a towel up and down Connor's left arm before moving to the right one. His husband was shaking and Connor's first few attempts to dry off had left him repeatedly dropping the towel. So after changing his own clothes, John had gently sat Connor down on the bed and was rubbing the towel over the younger man's skin. John wished they had time for a shower, but they barely had time for this. It was rushed and Connor was still shaking. John finished with Connor's torso and handed his partner a shirt.
"Put this on." John said quietly. He knelt before Connor and rubbed the towel down each of Connor's legs. "I'll get you some sweatpants."
Connor nodded and pulled the shirt on. He stood and John tossed some boxers. Connor stiffly pulled them on before pulling on the sweatpants that John was handing to him.
"Lorne to Davids."
John frowned and glanced around. Connor's radio was beeping in a pile with the towels from the pool. John reached picked it up.
"Sheppard here."
"Sir… Dr. Keller has been able to revive Corporal Johns but he's still unconscious."
"Alright, thanks for letting me know. We'll be there in a few minutes. Sheppard out."
John turned to face Connor. "Lorne says that they've revived Johns. He's unconscious, for now."
Connor gestured for his radio and John handed it over. "Davids to Ramsey."
"Ramsey here. What can I do for you, Doc?"
"Ben… Eric has, uh, been in an accident. He's in the infirmary, I'm on my way there." Connor told him softly.
"An accident? What kind?"
"He… drowned." Connor answered quietly. "I-He's… I can't…"
"I'm on my way." Ben said gently. "I'll get Jim too, okay? Hang in there."
Connor nodded even though Ben couldn't see him. "I… you too."
"I'll see you soon, Connor. Ramsey out."
John pulled Connor into a tight hug. "It'll be okay, Con you need to believe that."
"He was without oxygen for so long… his brain…"
"Think positive."
Connor clutched at John's back. "Okay. Are you going to tell Rodney?"
"Yeah." John answered wearily. "He can't--fuck, he can't visit."
"He can stop by later." Connor said softly.
"Yeah…. Yeah."
Eric woke up on a Monday. Connor knew that because he'd been sitting by his friend and teammate's bed. He'd been sitting there for two days. Ben and Jim were frequent visitors as was Daniel and even Cam, although the latter two were mostly there for Connor. John and Evan were there often and sometimes Rodney would flit through the infirmary with some desperate need of a doctor.
Connor knew he just had a desperate need to see his boyfriend.
Connor was typing away on his laptop, planning out what he would talk about at the TED conference. John had become a sounding board because he knew the basics of linguists, from the books Connor had leant him, but didn't have really a full understanding of them. So if John could understand what Connor was talking about, then Connor figured others would too.
"Ngh… Connor?"
Connor jumped and his laptop came perilously close to sliding off his lap before he caught it.
"Eric?!"
He set his computer aside and stood up, peering down at his friend. Eric was blinking against the harsh lights and Connor immediately asked Atlantis to lower them.
"Can you hear me?" Connor asked quietly. He reached for one of Eric's hands. "Squeeze once for yes and twice for no." The hand in his squeezed once. "Let me get Keller."
Connor tried to pull his hand away but Eric held on. "Tell me… happened…"
"You scared the shite out of me." Connor said quietly. "We were swimming and I went to the bathroom and came back to find you at the bottom of the pool."
"S'ry," Eric mumbled. "Was hit."
"Hit?" Connor frowned. "Hit by what?"
"S'm'one hit me."
"Someone hit you?" Connor's eyes flew to the white bandage on Eric's face. Until now the running assumption had been that Eric had slipped on pool deck and fallen into the pool. "Who?"
"Dunno. Hurts."
"What hurts?"
"Head… ch'st…"
"Evan cracked a couple ribs while performing CPR. He's really sorry about it." Connor said quietly. Inside he was bursting with happiness. Eric was awake, talking, seemed mostly coherent and he could feel pain. All good signs. "Let me get Keller. She can probably give you something for the pain."
"How… long…?"
"Two days." Connor whispered. "Jim and Ben have been here… and Rodney…"
"R'dn'y? Is he 'k?" Eric's eyes opened more fully and met Connor's.
"Yeah. He's worried though. We were all worried."
"S'ry."
"Don't be sorry, just get better." Connor said gently.
"'k."
"I'll be right back."
And this time Eric let go of his hand and Connor took another look at his friend before tracking down the blonde doctor with a small smile on his face.
"Ow!"
"Jesus, Eric. Be careful." Rodney said with a frown. "Are you okay in there?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Just banged my elbow."
"Are you sure you don't need help?" Rodney asked, pacing outside the bathroom. Eric had been released from the infirmary today after spending six days there.
"I'm sure."
"I mean, I can help if you need it."
"I'm just taking a piss, Rodney." Eric said. Rodney could practically hear the eye roll the younger man was giving him.
"Well it sounds painful."
"I just banged my elbow." Eric answered. "Hit the funny bone."
"It's more like a funny nerve." Rodney mumbled to himself. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Since you asked me three minutes ago? Yes."
"What's taking so long?"
"I'm washing my hands."
"Oh."
The door slid open and Eric stood there with a raised eyebrow, looking at Rodney. Rodney couldn't help but look his boyfriend up and down, making sure he was still alright. Eric stepped out of the bathroom and the lights turned off automatically. He stopped in front of Rodney and gave the older man a small smile and a kiss on the lips.
"I'm really okay, you know." Eric said softly.
"Are you sure? Cause you just got out of the infirmary and Keller said to take it easy…"
Eric smiled fondly and Rodney was surprised to get two smiles in such a small period of time. "I don't think going to the bathroom falls under the strenuous category."
"Right."
"Take me to bed." Eric said gently.
"I definitely think that falls under the strenuous category." Rodney muttered. But he stepped to the side so Eric could make his way back to the bed. Rodney let his hand rest on the younger man's lower back, guiding him.
A few minutes later they were situated under the covers, both naked and Rodney was spooned up carefully behind Eric. He had an arm around Eric's waist, aligned with Eric's own arm and their hands were pressed together, fingers threaded with each other's. He could feel his boyfriend breathing and it was the most reassuring feeling that Rodney had ever experienced. The way Eric's chest expanded pressing back into Rodney's was soothing.
Rodney pressed a kiss to the back of Eric's neck. And then another, and another. Eric sighed happily and Rodney bent down to rest his forehead where his lips had just been.
"Eric?" Rodney asked quietly.
"Yeah?"
"I-I really fucking love you." Rodney said. His voice only shook a little bit; something he was proud of. "I was so goddamned scared when Sheppard showed up in my lab. I knew something was wrong with you and I… I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up." He paused. "And you should know that before you came along I didn't have heart attacks in my lab over some kid. I used to be perfectly healthy."
Rodney felt his boyfriend chuckle a little bit. "Really, Rodney? Healthy with all that coffee you consume?"
"There's nothing wrong with coffee."
"Suure." Eric agreed lightly. There was a short pause and Eric squeezed Rodney's hand before saying, "I love you too, Rodney. I'm sorry I worried you and it's okay that you weren't there when I woke up. I was--I was a little surprised that Connor was there, actually."
"You died in front of him, where else did you think he would be?"
Eric shifted a little before asking, "Did you just stick up for Connor?"
"What? No!" Rodney defended. "Just pointing something out."
"Uh-huh." Eric said and Rodney could hear a hint of a smile in his boyfriend's voice. "You like him."
"I don't like him." Rodney instantly denied.
"You so do."
"No I don't."
"I'm on to you, Rodney."
"Well, you're on to the wrong part of me." Rodney grumbled.,
Eric let out a short laugh. "Keep telling yourself that."
"You coming to bed any time soon?" John asked, leaning over his husband's shoulder and peering down at Connor's notebooks.
"I've got some work to finish," Connor answered softly.
"Is that a 'no'?" John asked, kissing the side of Connor's neck.
"That's a 'it could be a while'." The linguist answered. "You should go to bed though, I know you have a meeting in the morning."
John sighed and rested his chin on Connor's shoulder. "When did my life become so full of meetings?"
"When you turned thirty-five." Connor answered wryly.
John laughed. "I suppose that's fairly accurate. How late will you be?"
Connor shrugged. "I'm not sure. I might work through the night."
"Should I bring you some breakfast?"
The younger man shook his head. "I'll eat."
"Uh-huh." John said dubiously. "Where have I heard that before?"
"I'm meeting Jake for breakfast." Connor told his partner.
"Jake… Reed?"
"Yeah."
"You seem to be meeting with him a lot these days." John commented easily.
Connor wrote something down before answering. "Yeah."
John let out a soft laugh. "I get it, it's a secret."
"Not my secret." Connor said. "I would tell you if I could."
"That's fine. Just make sure you eat, alright?"
"Yeah."
John kissed Connor's cheek and just stood there for a moment, wrapping his arms around Connor's chest as he bent down over his husband. Connor let his pen fall to his desk and leaned back into John's embrace.
"I love you." John murmured.
"I know." Connor answered quietly. He turned his face towards John and reached a hand up to the side of John's head to turn it towards him before gently pressing their lips together. John closed his eyes and sighed happily. After a moment, Connor pulled back, a light blush on his face. "Goodnight."
"'Night." John whispered. He leaned in for one more quick peck on the lips and then straightened. John pulled away from his husband and headed for the door to Connor's lab. Before he left he glanced back at the younger man; Connor had already returned to work and was flipping through a book while the giant screen in front of him scrolled down. He smiled to himself and then left.
Jake waved his hand over the door sensor and shifted nervously. A few seconds later, the door slid open, revealing his friend on the other side. "Morning, Doc."
Connor smiled back at him. "Good morning."
Jake frowned at the bags under Connor's eyes. "Did you get any sleep last night?"
The linguist gestured behind him. "I had work."
"Maybe you should go to bed… we can have breakfast some other time." Jake suggested.
Connor shook his head. "I'm fine. Where did you want to eat?"
"Food hub?" Jake suggested.
The Irishman smiled. "Sounds good. I'm in the mood for some pancakes."
Ten minutes later they had their food and Jake didn't want to say anything, but Connor's pancakes looked a lot like… crêpes. The scientist was slathering them in raspberry jelly and they looked really, really good. Jake looked back down at his plain stack of waffles and was thinking that he should have ordered whatever Connor had ordered.
"So how are things with you?" Connor asked, blowing across the top of the mug of tea in his hands.
Jake cut the stack of waffles in half. "Pretty good. We haven't had any weird missions for a while… knock on wood. There's a week-long training exercise on the mainland next week that I'm not particularly looking forward too, but it could be worse."
"John, Ronon and Evan have been working on that for a month." Connor offered.
"Wanna give me some hints about it?" Jake asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
Connor offered him a smile and a light blush before answering, "I've been sworn to secrecy."
"Damn." Jake said without any heat. "Foiled again."
The linguist laughed and started slicing up his pan…crêpes. Jake looked down sadly at his pieces of waffles and drizzled some syrup over them.
"Do you think there will be another Secret Santa this year?" Jake asked, stabbing a chuck of waffle.
Connor appeared to think about it for a moment before answering, "Yes."
"I liked it." Jake offered. "It was nice to get something random."
"Yeah." His friend agreed.
"Any other holiday plans?" Jake ventured. "With the lucky man maybe?"
Connor blushed a deep red and stared down into his plate. "Um, just the normal…"
Jake sighed wistfully and popped the piece of waffle into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. After swallowing he said, "I hope I'll be as happy as you someday, Doc."
"You're not happy?" Connor asked, looking up with concern written on his face.
Jake shook his head and waved the concern away. "I didn't mean like that. I'm happy, sure, but it gets old being alone, ya know? I want someone to come home to, someone to ask me how my day went."
The scientist frowned a little. "Isn't there some kind of, uh, Atlantis dating network? I thought Tim mentioned something…"
"There is." Jake said with a bob of his head. "But that's really more for… hook-ups than actual dating."
"Hook-ups as in… a, uh, one night thing?" Connor asked softly.
"Yep." Jake looked at his friend. "Can I ask you a personal question?" At Connor's panicked look, Jake amended, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Connor nodded. "Okay."
"How'd you meet your partner?"
A shy smile came over Connor's face and Jake watched as it softened and his friend's eyes filled with fondness. "We met here, on Atlantis… although you, uh, probably knew that. It's… I can't really say much, if I did I would, um, give him away. We worked together, for a little while though and… we became friends."
"Did you--were you hoping it would lead to something more?"
Connor shook his head. "Definitely not. We…" He paused and collected his thoughts. "Neither of us had been with another man before. I think I knew there was something but I didn't really know what it was."
That gave Jake pause. "Wait, so you weren't gay?"
"Nope." Connor answered, taking a bite of his crêpes.
"And your partner wasn't gay?"
"Nope. He'd dated only women before." His friend answered.
"You're like a modern day romance story, Doc." Jake said with a grin. "Your life could be a movie or something."
Connor blushed and pulled his tea in front of him, picking it up. "I, uh, don't know about that." He paused. "I can keep an eye out for someone for you, if you want. I don't know that many women, but I can ask around."
Jake looked around the food hub. It was completely empty except for them. The biggest reason was because it was 0540 in the morning.
"Connor?"
"Yes?" Connor answered softly, meeting Jake's eyes.
"I still think about David all the time." Jake admitted.
"Have you thought about telling him?"
"Connor." Jake said flatly. "You really think David wants to hear that?"
The linguist shook his head ruefully. Jake loved all of his teammates but David was… loose with his affections. He didn't really mean to be but he was a bit absent-minded and maybe too focused on his work to really invest in anybody else. David never stayed with anyone for too long. Jake wasn't sure why that was, but it seemed to suit his teammate just fine.
"Is it David specifically?" Connor asked quietly. "Or the fact that he's a--he's a man?"
Jake blinked. "I think it's just David."
Connor nodded. "Then let me see what I can do."
"Yeah?"
The scientist smiled softly at him. "Yeah."
Connor moved quietly through his and John's room. John was sleeping and while Connor knew his husband had probably woken up the second the door opened, he still held hope that John had fallen back to sleep. Connor hated to wake the other man.
"How was the movie?" John mumbled.
Connor finished pulling his shirt off over his head and started undoing his pants as he answered, "Good."
"Yeah? What'd you watch?"
"In Bruges."
"Never heard of it."
"I think you'd probably like it. It has a fellow Irishman in it."
"Yeah?"
"Colin Farrell."
"Are you a fan?" John asked, sounding more awake.
"Of his? I--I'm not sure. He was pretty good in the movie. I'm not sure I've seen much else with him in it."
"I saw him in Minority Report; was good."
"Ah."
"You coming to bed?"
"After I brush my teeth."
"Don't take too long." John said.
"I won't."
Sure enough, four minutes later Connor was crawling into bed next to his husband. Connor let out a short laugh when John pulled him on top of him. Connor's body was flush with John's, one leg sunk into the middle of John's and one fell on the outside. He turned his head so that his cheek rested on John's chest and John's arms rested heavily on his back.
"Tell me about your day." John mumbled.
"It was pretty boring."
"Tell me anyways." John beseeched quietly.
"I woke up to run with Ronon."
"Did you guys run outside?"
"For a kilometer or so. It was raining."
"Yup." John agreed, rubbing a hand into Connor's back.
"We like to run in the rain."
"I'm sure your immune system likes it too."
"I'm perfectly healthy." Connor muttered in protest.
"Yeah? Are there a lot of vitamins in butterscotch pudding?" John teased.
"There's… calcium." The younger man finished triumphantly.
John laughed. "So you went running…"
"Then I came back and had some tea with my husband who just wouldn't let me have a lie in."
"Sounds like a mean husband."
"The meanest." Connor agreed. "Then he went to work and I couldn't go back to sleep so I went down to the shooting range."
"Shoot anyone?"
Connor shook his head against John's chest. "I wanted to though. There was some guy on the range who was… annoying."
"Really?" John asked surprised.
"Yes, really. Why?"
"It's just--you never find people annoying."
"I find you annoying all the time." Connor countered with a grin.
"Only because you want to sleep and I want you in me."
"And I told you those aren't mutually exclusive."
John laughed and Connor's body shook lightly with John's. "We'll see. So he was annoying?"
"Yeah."
"Name?"
Connor thought about it. "Nope."
"Nope?"
"Not telling you."
"Con-nor."
"Jo-ohn."
"It's always the quiet ones." John said with a sigh. "So what happened after that?"
"Sgt. Morelli needed some help with his computer. Unfortunately he blew his motherboard and that is something I can't fix without the proper tools."
"Just fill out the requisition forms."
"I did."
"Good. What else?"
"Hmm. I did some work for a while."
"Translate anything interesting?"
Connor smiled. "To me or to you?"
"To me."
"Nope."
"… how's that gun coming along?"
"The one like Ronon's?"
"Yeah."
"I passed the information off to Radek. He's working on it, as far as I know."
"Weren't you doing something else with Dr. Z?" John asked.
"Yeah. We're outlining those computer 101 classes for your Marines."
John shifted a little and pulled Connor in closer to him. "You're not over-working yourself, are you?"
"Nil."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
John sighed. "Okay. So what did you do after work?"
"I had dinner with Cam, Daniel, Mark and Emery."
"How's Mitchell settling into the city?"
"He loves it. And I think Daniel's excited to have a regular exploration partner."
"I should ask him if he wants to join in on any of the drills."
"I think he'd like that." Connor agreed.
"What'd you do after dinner?"
"Meeting." Connor said succinctly.
"Ah. Anything new there?"
"Nope. Is there--did you find anything out about who p-pushed Eric?" Connor asked quietly.
John's hands moved gently up and down the linguist's back in a soothing motion. "Not yet. We're still looking, Con."
"It's been days, John."
"I know and… as much as nobody wants to say it, chances are, we won't find whoever did it." John said gently.
Connor sighed. "I know. I should never have left him alone."
"We've been through this, Con. There was no way you could have known. Johns doesn't blame you and you shouldn't blame you either."
"Easier said than done." Connor mumbled.
John smoothed a hand through Connor's hair. "I know."
There was a long pause but Connor knew that John was still awake. "John?"
"Hmm?"
"You're pretty much the best thing that's ever happened to me, you know that right?"
Pause. "Pretty much?"
Connor smiled. "Well, I mean, meeting Evan is pretty high on that list too…"
"I better be at the top." John growled.
"And then there's Ronon and Teyla…"
"Connor." John warned lightly.
"And Eric and Jim and Ben…"
"Are you trying to kill me?" John asked with a pout.
Connor laughed lightly. "I really, really love you, John."
"I really, really love you too, Con."
A few weeks later, Connor and John were both busy. John had been running military simulations on the mainland for the better part of two weeks and Connor had only seen him, Ronon and Evan a handful of times. They were rotating military personnel in and out and Connor didn't really think it was an accident that when Evan's team was gone, Connor's was here or when Connor's team was gone, Evan's was here. John and Evan liked to meddle but Connor didn't really mind as it benefited him. Teyla and Cam had been with them for the past week, also, leaving very few people on the base for Connor to talk to.
Last week Connor worked three days straight and spent the day after that sleeping and then the day after that exploring with Daniel and Emery. Mark had been rotated out to the mainland.
But everyone would be back tonight because Christmas was in three days. John would be home for a week and then gone for another week. And Connor had a sneaking suspicion that during the week John would be home there would be a citywide drill. Well, it was less like a suspicion and more like actual knowledge. There were a few perks to sleeping with the base's military commander.
Connor wasn't embarrassed to say that he was excited. He loved Christmas and he missed John and he'd get both of them soon. He wondered if he and John would bake another cake this year. Before leaving, John had put a bunch of Christmas songs on his iPod and Connor knew he was determined to learn them. New ones were playing throughout the city this year and Connor couldn't help but smile every time he heard them.
So he was bouncing a little. John would be back in three hours and Connor had plans that involved his husband and a mattress. Although at this point, the mattress was optional. He wasn't really sure when he'd turned into one of those people who pounced on their spouses as soon as they returned, but Connor missed being close to John. The few nights that John had been back, John had been so far beyond exhausted that one time he fell asleep in the shower. That had been an almost disaster, luckily Connor had been standing behind him.
There had been two good things that had come out of everyone being gone. One, Rodney had begrudgingly eaten dinner with Connor several nights in a row and Connor was almost sure that Rodney liked him a little more than he did before. And two, Connor had managed to find someone for Jake. He'd sent his friend an e-mail describing her and was almost sure Jake would like the woman. John would probably joke that Connor was moonlighting as a matchmaker. At this point, John would be right.
Connor tapped his pen nervously against his notebook as he waited for John to arrive. Two hours, fifty-four minutes to go.
John wasn't sure who was more excited to get back to Atlantis; him, Lorne, Teyla or Ronon. And then he realized why they were all so excited to get back to Atlantis and horrible mental pictures of his teammates and XO flashed through his mind. After that he was wishing for some machine to wipe out the last three minutes of his life.
He was also excited for Christmas. This would be his second Christmas with Connor and last year's holiday had been everything John had wanted as a kid. He'd made sure to book the kitchen again this year and the presents he'd gotten for his husband were already wrapped and hidden in his old room. They weren't anything special, but John thought Connor would appreciate them.
He wished the jumpers could go faster. He was ten minutes out from Atlantis and his body was thrumming with excitement.
When he finally landed John did a hasty shut down and then raced down the ramp with his bag slung over his shoulder. A small part of him wished that Connor had been standing there to greet him but John pushed that aside. He headed for the doors, avoiding the swarm of people around him. He had just turned into the hallway when he almost ran into someone going the opposite direction of everyone else. John looked up and his face broke out into a grin. He pulled Connor into a quick hug before letting him go and ushering him back down the hallway.
"Sorry I'm late." Connor said quietly, blushing lightly.
"We're early." John dismissed. And they were, by about fifteen minutes.
"I wanted to be there when you landed."
"You're here now." John said. They stepped into a transporter with four other people and waited while the lift stopped at different levels, before reaching theirs.
By the time they got to their room, John couldn't hold it in any longer. His bag dropped to the floor and he grabbed Connor lightly, pushing him up against the wall. Their mouths met in a hot, desperate kiss and soon hands were grabbing at clothing, trying to get it off as fast as possible.
"Missed you." John said breathlessly.
Pants fell to the floor and shirts followed soon after. John's hands roamed over Connor's skin, touching every inch that they could reach.
"John." Connor breathed. His head fell back against the wall and John's mouth trailed down his jaw to his neck. John thrust their erections together and Connor moaned beautifully at the friction.
"In me, Connor." John begged. "I want you in me."
Connor's eyes stared down at John, his pupils already wide and the blue was darkening. His breathing came out in quick gulps and John was already so hard that he was pretty sure if Connor breathed the right way, John would come.
"Bed." Connor gasped as John wrapped a hand around his husband's erection. "Bed, John."
"Yes." John mumbled into Connor's skin. "Okay."
The only thing about John bottoming that John wished were different, is that he weighed so much more than Connor. He would have loved to do it up against the wall, but there was no way Connor would have been able to support John's weight.
They stumbled onto the bed and John pushed the blankets and sheets away before falling on top of his partner. Connor moved a little underneath him, grinding them together. A slick hand worked its way in between their bodies and soon their erections were sliding past one another.
"Connor, please." John whispered into Connor's neck.
[EDITED FOR CONTENT]
John hadn't known that that was what his body was waiting for, but the second Connor told him to come, John was coming hard. He cried out softly and his body shook with release. Black dots danced in front of his eyes and John pushed against the side of Connor's head while the hand on his neck, held him down. John almost cried with relief when his body stopped shaking and a second later he collapsed on top of Connor, breathing quickly, heart racing.
When John opened his eyes he was a little confused to find himself alone in bed. He jumped a little when a warm washcloth landed on his backside and then slid down into his crack.
"John?" Connor murmured.
John turned his head to find Connor crouched next to the bed, looking a little bit worried. "Yea--" John croaked and then swallowed, wetting his dry throat. "Yeah. What happened?"
Connor frowned. "I, uh, believe the technical term is 'passed out'."
"What?"
"You passed out right after you, ah, came." Connor told him quietly. He ran the washcloth lightly up and down John's backside, wiping him down.
"I--" John closed his eyes and thought about it. He remembered a feeling like none other and then nothing. He drew a blank. When he opened his eyes, Connor was frowning at him lightly.
"Are you okay, John? Should I call Keller?" He asked softly.
"How long was I out?"
Connor bit his lip and tossed the washcloth into the hamper. "About five minutes or so."
"Jesus." John swore, rolling onto his back. "I don't think that's ever happened to me before."
"I think you're dehydrated." Connor offered quietly. "You never drink enough when you're training. I brought you some water." He gestured to a glass on the bedside table.
If Connor was mothering him then John had definitely scared his husband. And as John became more and more awake he started noticing more things. Connor's hands were shaking a little and there was a line of worry between his eyes--eyes that were moving up and down John's body and not in an 'I want to jump your bones' kind of way.
"Hey." John said softly, reaching out and wrapping his hands around Connor's. "I'm okay. I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, Con."
"You weren't moving, John. Just-just like Eric." Connor said, looking away.
"But I was breathing." John reminded him gently. "You saw my chest moving."
Connor swallowed and wouldn't meet his eyes. "Yes."
"Let's take a shower." John suggested quietly and then frowned. "Did you…?"
The younger man turned back to face him, looking confused at the question. "Did I what?"
"Did you--I mean…" John wasn't really sure how to ask if Connor had come after he did. But he was still slightly shocked that he had passed out during sex. Some might say after, but to John if they hadn't both come, then it wasn't over. "What happened after I passed out?"
"Besides me freaking out?" Connor asked lightly. John assumed he was trying to hide how worried he had really been.
"Yeah."
"I got you some water and then a washcloth. I, um, had decided that if you didn't wake up within the next ten minutes I would call Keller." His husband said quietly.
John sat up and swung his feet over the side of the bed. He glanced down at Connor's naked body and wasn't sure what he was looking for Connor didn't seem hard. "Did you at least come?" He asked gently.
"Did I at least…" Connor looked baffled. "You're kidding, right?"
John frowned and shook his head. "No."
"John you passed out! Went limp! Stopped moving!" Connor argued, standing up. "You really think that's conducive to me getting my rocks off?!"
John winced at the phrase. "I'm sorry that I just… left you hanging."
Connor blinked down at him like John had grown another head. "You can't possibly be serious, John."
"I feel horrible that I--" John cut himself off. Connor stared at him in disbelief and his arms had moved up to hug himself. John stood up and reached for the other man but Connor pulled away, stepping out of John's reach.
"Don't." He said softly, almost inaudibly. "Please, John."
"Connor--"
"No. I just--" Connor closed his eyes. "I need a few moments."
John nodded even though Connor couldn't see him. He took a blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over his husband's shoulders on his way to the dresser. Connor might need time, which John would give him, but he wasn't about to let the younger man freeze. John grabbed some boxers and a black shirt, pulling them on. Then he set about making some tea, setting the water to heat and rinsing out two mugs.
After the water boiled, John split it into two mugs and dropped two bags of tea into them. He added some milk to Connor's mug and some sugar into his before carrying them back to the table. He set them down to steep and sat down heavily into their large chair. A second later, Connor sat down on John's lap and the younger man practically folded in on himself, blanket still wrapped around him.
John pulled the blanket out and adjusted it so that it went around both of them and he didn't say anything when Connor tugged one end of it over his head, burrowing his face into John's neck. John wrapped his arms around the bundle in his lap and murmured soft noises of comfort.
"Drink some tea." Said a muffled voice from under the blanket.
John obediently reached out and picked up his mug, taking a sip of the hot liquid. He winced, "It's hot."
"Drink some of mine."
John set down his mug and picked Connor's up. It would be cooler because of the milk. He took a long sip of it, drinking almost half the mug before he set it back down on the table.
"I told Rodney we would eat dinner with him."
"He's not spending time with Eric?" John asked quietly.
"He will later. Eric has a week's worth of homework to finish."
"What time?"
"1900."
"When is that?"
"In about half an hour."
John rubbed a hand down Connor's back. "Will you be okay by then? We can cancel."
"You need to eat." Connor answered in a tone that booked no room for argument.
John licked his lips and picked up Connor's tea again, finishing the mug off. He set the empty one back down next to John's still steaming cup. "Should we talk about this?"
There was a pause and then, "I'm tired of talking about things."
"So we should ignore this?"
"No." Connor said firmly. "You'll just eat before we have sex."
John frowned. "What? Every time? I'm not even dehydrated, Connor. I was just… tired or something. Most people would be flattered to have their partner pass out."
"I highly doubt that." Connor said.
"Well, that's what they say on TV. But really, Connor I can't just eat before we have sex. I'll probably end up puking on you or something."
"I'd prefer that to you passing out."
John grimaced. "Really?"
"Yes."
John sighed. "I can't talk to you when you're hiding."
"We're not talking. I'm deciding and you're saying 'okay, Connor great idea', if you ever want to have sex again." Pause. "And I'm not hiding."
"So we can have sex after dinner tonight?" John asked.
"Yes."
"But not tomorrow morning."
"Not unless you eat first."
"Connor." John said, rubbing his forehead. "You have to be reasonable about this."
"Do I?"
John sighed and wondered when his partner had become an extortionist. "I was just really into it."
"Well I'm not really into sex with unconscious people." He paused. "Unless I'm the unconscious one."
John couldn't help the small laugh that escaped. "What about a trial basis? If it happens again I'll eat before sex for the next… week."
"Month."
"Two weeks."
"Month."
"Am I going to win this?"
"No."
John sighed. "Fine. But until then, you don't make me eat before sex."
"Fine. But water is non-negotiable."
"This is like living with a terrorist." John said.
"Do you always negotiate with terrorists?"
"Hmm. Good point. Fine. I'll drink some water."
John actually found himself grinning. Connor loved him. He knew that, but this was something different. Connor wanted to take care of him, protect him. Connor had always seemed content to let John take care of himself, but not anymore, and John couldn't help but feel warm inside at the thought of Connor taking care of him--just a little. It was nowhere near the amount of mothering that John and the others did towards Connor, but that didn't really matter. Connor had always been there for John, now he was there just a little bit more.
"John?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you mad?"
"What? Why would I be mad?"
"Um… I just threatened to withhold sex to get what I wanted."
"Connor." John said. He tugged the blanket off of Connor's head and ran a hand through his partner's red-brown hair. "I'm not mad at all. I'm actually… kinda touched. It wasn't like you threatened to withhold it for something ridiculous. You threatened me for me."
"I'm sorry I freaked out earlier."
"I'm sorry for making you freak out." John countered. He twirled a bit of Connor's hair around his finger.
"Just don't do it again."
"I won't." John said. "I promise."
"Good. Now, drink your tea."
John grinned as he reached for his tea. He was so whipped.
