John covered his eyes with his arm, trying to block the sun, but it was no use. He was up for the day. He jumped back with he saw Sheppard's sleeping face next to him. For a second, he had forgotten why he was sleeping on the floor.
Taking advantage of such a unique situation, he looked at Sheppard and studied his face. It was odd. It was the same face he looked in the mirror each morning, yet, it was different. He studied Sheppard's five o'clock shadow. It looked good on him, made him look manlier, he decided.
"You know, I'm trying to sleep," complained Sheppard.
"Just admiring our beauty," John quipped before hopping out of his sleeping bag.
As he passed the mirror in the bathroom, he looked at himself and winced when he saw his reflection. The black eye that he hoped would disappear overnight didn't. No one would miss this shiner. Oh well, he thought. There was nothing he could do about it now.
"Hey, you going to shave?" he asked Sheppard.
Sheppard opened one eye slightly. "Why?"
"Because the one who doesn't shave wouldn't get asked a million times which Sheppard he was. Everyone would know who that is," explained John.
"Then I'm not shaving," Sheppard answered.
John had expected that answer, already putting shaving cream on his face. Quickly, he got ready, deciding to leave his trademark wristbands for Sheppard, but taking his watch. At the last moment, he grabbed his sunglasses off the side table and put them on.
Unlike his efficient counterpart, he didn't know what he planned to do today. He supposed he could go down and check up on Rodney, but knew it would probably slow down his work. Walking around Atlantis' numerous corridors had lost its appeal a couple of years ago. If only something could spark his interest…
He walked aimlessly for a few minutes, subconsciously heading towards the east pier. As he was walking down the hall, he noticed Teyla walking across the intersection several yards ahead of him. Looking up to the sky, he mouthed a silent "thank you" as he broke into a slow jog to catch up with her.
"Hey Teyla," he said, a smile in his voice.
She paused in her walk and turn to him. "Good morning, John."
He was surprised. He thought he would have to tell her which John he was. "How did you know it was me?" he asked.
She looked at him with a bit of surprise. "I did not know," she said, reminding him of a time when she had trusted him with her life while he was being controlled by an alien. "But, out of the three, you seem to go out of your way to greet me."
He would have been embarrassed if it wasn't true. However, since this whole ordeal started, the only person he really felt comfortable around was Teyla. Her always pleasant nature seemed to compliment this side of him. "Well, what can I say? You bring the best out of me," he said with a smile. "So, what are you doing?" he asked before things started becoming too serious.
"Several of the young people are coming in this morning from the New Athos for some training," she answered.
"You mind if I watch? I have nothing better to do," he said.
She looked at him for a second, as if to assess why he wanted to come along.
He took off his sunglasses and gave her a puppy dog look. "Please?"
She winced, looking at the black eye he had. "You should have seen Dr. Beckett last night," she scolded lightly. "Perhaps he could have helped it not to be so swollen."
"You're right," he said, hoping to appease her. "So, can I go?"
Seeing he wasn't going to back down easily, she nodded. "Very well, you are welcome to join me in the gym. Though I should warn you, you will most likely find it uninteresting. Most of the people are still just learning the most basic skills."
He looked at her with her hair back in a ponytail, her sexy workout outfit. "Somehow," he said, putting the sunglasses back on, "I don't think I'll be bored."