End-of-December ficlets Part Two
For daizy2k2, who wanted John/Cam , family, no angst (and of course, because John/Cam family means only one thing to me, this is What Happens Next verse
"This is a bad idea," John says, not at all sure whether he's kidding or not.
Cam kisses him in passing. "It's a good idea," he corrects. "It was your idea."
"I'm known for my bad ideas."
"Exception that proves the rule. Alex, come downstairs please!"
"You know that's not what that saying actually means." John tugs at the front of his shirt. Maybe he should have dressed up more? Except this is his house, he can dress how he likes.
Further contemplation is cut off by small feet thundering down the stairs, and Alex crashing into Cam's knees. Cam scoops him up, holding tight when Alex tries to wriggle down again.
"Down, Dad! Wanna go play."
"I know, but Uncle Dave is nearly here. You can play with Angela and Denise when they get here."
Alex looks a little uncertain - this is the first time he'll have met any of John's family except for Dave - but he settles happily enough in Cam's arms, murmuring to himself, and the whale soft toy in his hand.
"This is a good idea," Cam says over his head.
"I know," John says, and this time, he knows he means it.
*
"Now?" Dave asks, draining the last of his coffee.
John checks on the kids - playing some version of tag at the bottom of the garden, like they've known each other their entire lives, not twenty minutes - and nods. "Good a time as any."
"I'll go." Andrea, Dave's wife takes the car keys from him and ducks back through the house.
"He's really going to be surprised?" Dave asks. "I couldn't even sneak a food bowl into the house without the girls spotting me, never mind a hutch and everything else."
John looks at Cam, who's looking back at him and obviously trying not to laugh. "We've had some practice at keeping secrets," John says mildly.
For the first time in a long time, Dave just shakes his head, looking wryly amused. "I'll get you to teach me, closer to Christmas."
Andrea steps back into the yard before John can point out that most of the tricks they know are classified, a medium sized box in her hands. "Girls? Can I borrow your cousin for a minute?"
All three of them look over, Denise's eyes brightening. "Is that the -" she gets out before Angela slaps a hand over her mouth.
"It's a secret, don't tell!"
Alex blinks between the two of them, then looks uncertainly to John and Cam. John holds out a hand. "Come here a second. You can go back to your game in a minute."
Alex takes John's hand, watching the box as Andrea kneels to put it on the floor. "What's in there?"
"It's for you," Andrea says. "We missed your last birthday, so we wanted to give you a present now, from all of us."
Alex looks up at John, who nods. "You can open it. Be careful though."
Alex crouches down, feeling over the lid of the box and down the sides before he figures out the top lifts straight off.
"Do you need some help?" Angela asks politely.
Alex shakes his head, grips the edges of the lid firmly and pulls it off carefully. John takes it as soon as it's loose, so Alex can look into the box. Where, nestled on a bed of straw, twitching nose turned to the sudden light, is a small brown rabbit.
For a moment, Alex just looks at it, and John's half-expecting one of his infrequent freak-outs. Instead, Alex stretches a careful hand down into the box, offering it to the rabbit to sniff. "Tickles," Alex says. "Daddy, he has whiskers, like Mrs White's cat."
"Denise and I picked him," Angela says. "From the pet shop in town. They had lots, but we picked this one because he's cutest, and he's really friendly. He let Denise hold him and didn't wriggle or anything."
"And he's really soft," Denise adds, leaning over the box to look at the rabbit.
"Really for me?" Alex asks. John nods. He expects Alex to say thank you, polite and a little shy like he sometimes is. Instead, Alex throws his arms around Andrea's knees. "Thank you, Aunty Andrea." He transfers the hug to Dave, who bends down to return it. "Thank you, Uncle Dave."
And yeah, okay, Cam's right. This was a good idea. A great idea, even.
For lilyleia, who wanted 5-0 dressing up as Santa's elves
"Stop that." Danny actually slaps Steve's hand away from the stupid pointed hat he's wearing.
Steve tries to put his hands in his pockets, remembers he doesn't have any pockets in this outfit, and crosses his arms instead. "I still don't see why I have to dress up like an elf. I mean -"
"Do not start," Danny says firmly, the force of his personality not dimmed at all by him being dressed, like Steve, in head to toe bright green, complete with dorky hat and pointed shoes. "If you make one short joke, I'll..."
"You'll what, Elf Danno?"
"I don't know yet, but it'll make you regret the comment. And that Elf Danno remark."
"Whatever, Danno," Steve says, and tweaks his hat again.
Someone knocks on the door, then opens it before Steve can say anything. Kono strolls in, followed by Lori, both of them dressed in similar costumes to Steve and Danny, but somehow managing to look good while Steve just feels like a fool.
"Damn," Lori says, digging into the pocket attached to her belt and handing over ten dollars to Kono.
Danny gestures between the two of them. "Eh?"
"She didn't believe the two of you would do the whole costume thing," Kono explains. The note's already disappeared somewhere on her person. "Oh ye of little faith," she add to Lori, who grins, shrugging.
"There's about half a dozen kids waiting out there," Lori says. "We ready to go?"
"Santa's here?" Steve checks.
"Which reminds me," Danny puts in. "How come Chin gets to be Santa? I've done it every year since Grace was born."
"Time someone else had a chance, brah," Kono says.
"And I'm not sewing up another costume for you," Steve adds.
"You sew?" Lori puts in.
"It's not that weird!" From the looks on his team's faces, that came out a little more strident than Steve intended. "Chin's out there, right?"
"Ready and waiting."
"Then let's do this." Steve taps the photograph of Dominic Lewis, the drug dealer they're looking to catch passing drugs via, of all people, the mall Santa. "He's probably going to have his kids with him, if we can avoid arresting him in front of them, we will."
"Sure, Boss Elf," Lori and Kono chorus.
Danny shoves Steve towards the door, laughing. "Let's go, Boss Elf."
For ninja007, who wanted John/Cam, Christmas, Return verse
John wakes up slowly, warm and relaxed, and for a moment he can't remember why. Then the mattress he's lying on moves, and he remembers - it's Christmas morning, and he's at Cam's house, and he doesn't have anywhere to be, anyone who'll come looking for him, any bad guys to fight off or press people wanting to ask him inane questions.
"Morning," Cam says, voice roughened with sleep. He's petting John's hair, John realizes, scruffing it up then smoothing it down again. It feels really good, so John keeps still, just opens his eyes. He's resting his head on Cam's chest, one arm slung over Cam's stomach, and both of them are naked.
Perhaps unsurprisingly - John got back to Earth the night before, and he has very pleasant memories of that homecoming. Slightly less of running the gauntlet of media who shouldn't have known he was on Earth, but declassification only happened a year ago, and apparently this is something they just have to live through until it ends.
"How you doing?" Cam asks.
"Good." John nudges his head against Cam slightly, making Cam huff a laugh at the ticklish rasp of stubble against his skin. "You?"
"Been worse," Cam agrees.
"Time is it?" John asks after a while. The room isn't very light, but that doesn't mean anything much.
"Just after eight."
"Late."
Cam's arm around John tightens slightly. "You want to get up?"
John's warm, comfortable, in bed with Cam. "Not really. You?"
"Not really," Cam echoes.
"No plans?" John asks, surprised enough to wake up a little more from the sleepy drift he's in. "No meals planned, or pancakes for breakfast?"
"Waffles maybe. Vala brought real maple syrup from Canada."
"You guys let Vala go to Canada?"
"Define let."
"Do you have blueberries?"
"Does that have anything to do with Vala?"
John shakes his head. "I'm only getting up for waffles if you have blueberries."
Cam's quiet for a minute. "I don't," he says finally.
John presses closer to Cam, not quite snuggling but almost, breathing in their combined warmth, their sleepy scent. "Then I'm not getting up."
Cam hugs him. "Good," he says.
For somehowunbroken, who wanted John/Cam, a day that seems pretty terrible but ends up okay after all
"Ow," Cam says, dropping onto the corner of the couch. It jars his arm, which hurts even with the painkillers the hospital gave him. "Ow," he says again.
John frowns at him, medication bag still in his hand. "I think you should still be in hospital."
Cam frowns back. "It's a broken arm. Clean break."
"You hit your head."
"I didn't even get knocked out."
"You fell off a ladder," John says, like this is some kind of closing argument.
"I remember it well," Cam says sharply. He kind of hates the flash of hurt across John's face, and even more that he put it there, put his head hurts, his arm is a dull ache, throbbing in time with his heartbeat and he can't deal with John as well. "I'm going to bed, all right?"
John hesitates, like he means to help Cam up, then takes a step back to give him space to pull himself to his feet. "You want tea?"
"I'm going to sleep," Cam says.
It's not the first time he's broken his arm, so he manages to get himself undressed down to his boxers without too much difficulty. He can't get comfortable in bed though - usually he sleeps on his left side, but it's his left arm he's broken, and the cast is hot and uncomfortable. He's not actually tired, which doesn't help. Every time he closes his eyes, he feels like falling again, the ladder slipping away beneath his feet and nothing to hold onto. None of which is helped by how much of an idiot he feels for having broken his arm while changing a light bulb.
So much for a week of vacation with John.
Cam sighs, tries to turn over and remembers he can't.
He groans, pressing his head back into the pillow, twitchy with pain and frustration. This is the problem with walking out - he has to be the one to apologize, when all he really wants is John.
As if summoned, there's a light knock at the closed bedroom door, and John pokes his head in. "I know you said you wanted to sleep," he says hesitantly.
"I'm not sleeping." Cam tries to push himself upright, then gives up.
"I brought you some juice, and your painkillers."
"Sorry," Cam says softly.
John comes the rest of the way into the room, putting the glass and painkillers on the nightstand. "You want to sit up?"
"Yeah." Cam's not expecting John to respond to the apology, but he meets Cam's eyes, smiles a little.
"You'll feel better if you take the pills," John says, helping Cam to lean against the headboard, a pillow tucked a little messily behind him.
The juice tastes good, cool and sweet, and Cam can feel John's eyes on him.
"The game's on, right?" Cam asks when he's finished with the juice. "You want to watch?"
"I can," John starts, half-standing.
Cam reaches for him, remembering just in time to use his right hand. "You want to watch with me?"
It doesn't take Cam long to fall asleep to the sound of the commentators, the warmth of John's body against his, but that's okay. It's a pretty decent way to end the day.
For rubygirl, who wanted John/Cam, Lorne, how Lorne feels about them as friends, and as a couple
Evan doesn't hang out with Sheppard much, though if anyone asked, he'd probably say that they're friends. He's been out in a group with Mitchell a couple of times, back when the two of them were both new to the stargate program, friendly, but not exactly friends. Evan got posted off-planet before they really got the chance, and then Mitchell got hurt.
So it's a little weird to realize that he's alone in a bar with the two of them, the rest of their group having gradually drifted away, at the bar, or watching Cadman and Simpson go head to head at pool. Mitchell doesn't seem to have noticed, caught up in the story he's telling.
Sheppard, sitting next to him, is leaned back in the booth, watching Mitchell, his face as relaxed as Evan can ever remember seeing him, and strangely easy to read in that moment. It's not like Evan didn't know about Sheppard and Mitchell - they're not quite as secretive as they should be, or maybe it's that they trust Evan a little more than they should. He knows it's more than sex, that they care about each other, but he's never... Seen it, maybe, the way he sees it right now, when they're not really aware that he's there, caught up in each other.
"I'm gonna get another drink," he says, standing. "Get you anything?"
He's almost expecting a change, some kind of shuttering of their partnership when they remember he's there, but he doesn't get it. Instead, they both turn to look at him, same open, relaxed expressions.
"Round's on me," Sheppard says, handing over a twenty, and maybe Evan's a little drunk, because it makes him grin more than it should, the invitation to stay with them, instead of being taken up on his implied offer to go away.
"Be right back," he tells them.
For gaffise, who wanted John/Ronon, and got a bit of What It's Made early relationship
John felt like kind of an idiot, waiting outside the stage door, even though Ronon had said it was okay. Being the oldest person there by a good ten years didn't help, though at least none of his students were there to make it any weirder.
He waited for a couple of actors to come out and start chatting with the autograph hunters, like Ronon had suggested, then slipped around them and through the stage door.
"Autographs are outside," the man on the desk there told him firmly. "Or you can leave your book."
Tempting as it was to take the excuse, Ronon was expecting him, and they really hadn't been dating long enough for John to let him down without a good reason. Especially when he didn't actually want to. "I should be on the guest list," he said instead. "John Sheppard, I'm a friend of Ronon's."
It took the man a second to find John's name on a clipboard, then hand over a visitor lanyard. "Down the corridor, up the stairs, through the door marked stage. Watch out for low-flying equipment."
Ronon had taken john backstage once before, but that hadn't been anything like this. Then, the theatre had been empty, the stage dimly lit, the curtain down. Now, the curtain was open, the lights on full, men and women dressed in black moving back and forth across it. John hesitated in the wings, watching until he picked out Ronon, looking over a clipboard with a younger, Black man. Ronon's companion looked up first, spotting John and pointing him out, saying something to Ronon, who turned, a smile lighting up his face as he saw John.
"Hey," he said when he got close enough, one hand on John's arm as he ducked his head for a swift kiss. "You get in okay?"
"No problem. Thanks for the ticket, I really enjoyed it."
Ronon laughed. "Everyone says that."
"Okay, maybe it wasn't exactly my thing. But I liked being here." Or maybe what he really liked was watching the set, remembering the way Ronon had explained it all to him. "Should I get out of the way?"
Ronon looked over the stage. "No, we're nearly done. You want to meet some of the crew?"
"Sure."
"Great." Ronon grinned again, and all John wanted to do was kiss him. He had no idea what had broken up Ronon and Evan, but he was selfishly glad for it, whatever it had been, and even more so for them still being friends. "I thought we might get dinner when we finish here."
"My place?" John offered, grateful that it was Friday and he could sleep in.
"Sounds like a plan." Ronon took hold of John's arm, pulling him onto the stage. "Come on, your turn to meet some of my friends."
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