[for Ronon]

[dojustfine]

Jennifer had been spending less time in New Atlantis since the whole mess with Ronon happened. She still saw him for their regular sparring sessions (well, lessons for her, probably boredom for him) and around and about, but it was just weird now. Something was different. She couldn't explain why, except that she couldn't help but think that Ronon

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[feltgoodthough]

Ronon had started a sketch and soon realised he didn't have the patience for it. He eyes a small carving he'd been whittling for Vala's baby and picked it up before deciding to go for a run. But when he got up he saw Jennifer heading his way.

Jennifer set the Socks down and Ronon watched the kitten race towards the sketch pad moving it at the last minute - this earned him a outraged hiss but he ruffled the annoyed kitten's fur and dodged her tiny claws as she instead turned to attention to a bit of wood shaving she could bat around.

"Hey," he said shifting awkwardly - he knew she'd been avoiding him, he really should make it clear she didn't have to.

[dojustfine]

"Hey," she replied, glancing at Socks to make sure she wasn't tearing up anything important before looking at Ronon again. He looked uncomfortable--not that Ronon ever let much of anything show, but she'd spent enough time with him to know that it was the subtle things about Ronon that would give him away, if anything. Like how he shifted awkwardly when he said hello.

Her throat felt dry, but she spoke anyway. "Have you got a minute? Because I was thinking maybe we should talk."

[feltgoodthough]

There was no way for Ronon to say no to that and still feel like a decent friend - even if he really wanted to tell her that he got it and they didn't have to have a talk about how not interested in him she was. "Sure," he said. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

[dojustfine]

"Yeah, that's good," Jennifer said. This might be a whole lot easier if they weren't staring at each other. "Socks, come here." But Socks didn't want to come, squeezing herself behind a little nearby bush and curling up like she was going to take a nap. Jennifer figured she'd be fine there. It wasn't likely she would go very far.

They walked for a few steps before Jennifer began awkwardly, "I think things have been kinda...weird, with us, lately. Ever since the whole crazy-me business, anyway. And I want to fix that, if I can. Because..."

She hesitated. What she wanted to say was because you're very important to me, Ronon, but she didn't know if it would make her look kind of desperate.

[feltgoodthough]

Ronon stared at the kitten staking a claim on her hiding place before he headed off with Jennifer, it was not a conversation he looked forward to. Normally this meant he wouldn't say much and would work on his glower and while that would almost certainly put Jennifer off, it was hardly going to help matters. He could hardly tell her he only kissed her back when she was crazy because he liked her anyway. It would only make things more awkward which neither of them wanted. He should have had more self control. But then he wasn't going to lie to her if she was determined to push the point.

Though when she made her point, he raised his eyebrows at her. "I thought you were avoiding me." She certainly spent a lot less time around New Atlantis - though they still sparred so it wasn't absolute. "You don't have to," he added. "I'm not going to try anything." He shrugged again. "Crazy-you surprised me."

[dojustfine]

"No, it wasn't that," Jennifer began. "It was more like..." She trailed off, shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts and looking at the ground in front of them as they walked.

"Crazy-me did stuff I wouldn't have done," she said. Now that she had worked up the nerve to come over here and talk to him, she'd look more foolish saying nothing than she would if she just came out with it, even if he didn't like what she had to say. "But it's not that I didn't really want to do those things. It's more like... things I would have been too much of a wimp to do when I'm myself."

[feltgoodthough]

Ronon didn't say anything as Jennifer carried on explaining what she meant and he considered her words carefully before he responded. He had absolutely no intention of making this more awkward, if such a thing was possible.

But whatever he had been thinking - what he felt about Jennifer hadn't changed. It was just really obvious that taking things slowly as he had been was not going to work if they weren't going to completely misunderstand each other. "I don't think you really want to go mountain climbing," he pointed out, and he knew absolutely she was not keen on weapons. Which left one thing and he stopped suddenly a lot less interested in walking anywhere and more interested in watching her reaction.

[dojustfine]

"Okay, no... that maybe I didn't exactly want to do, but it was nice not to have the vertigo," she answered. Ronon had stopped walking, and was looking at her pretty intently, and it made her nervous. "And I don't have a burning desire to be a good cook, either. But..." She glanced over at him, uncertain.

She took a deep breath and spoke again, the words almost running together this time. "It's just... the reason I haven't been around as much is not because I was afraid you'd 'try anything', but more that you... um. That you wouldn't."

There. She'd said it, and it was out there for better or worse. She felt a little sick with anxiety.

[feltgoodthough]

Making her actually come out and say it seemed harsh once it was done and Ronon couldn't help but think she was convinced he was going to do something she wouldn't like when she looked at him like that. Like she was about to puke on his boots.
But he took her at her word and really hoped she wasn't going to be ill as he did his best to prove her fears unfounded and show her just how wrong she was.

He touched her face softly tilting her face up as he closed the gap between them on the path and bent his mouth to hers. It was purposefully nothing like the last kiss they shared all impulse and instinct. Ronon was capable of being deliberate when he wanted and he wanted no more mistakes between them.

[dojustfine]

Jennifer was so surprised that she made a soft little startled sound against Ronon's mouth. She didn't know what to do with her hands; they eventually found their way to Ronon's chest and rested there as she leaned up on her toes towards him. For a moment she wondered if this was what it would have been like if they hadn't got out of the infirmary when they did--if they'd actually kissed--and then she stopped thinking about anything at all.

[feltgoodthough]

He had only meant it to be a brief kiss to show her how wrong she was, but it was so different, so much better to actually kiss Jennifer and not some mad version of her that he did not pull away for a long moment. And then only because he wanted to look at her. "Don't think you're a wimp either," he informed her, brushing another brief kiss to her lips.

[dojustfine]

"Oh," she said, blushing red. She was a wimp, but maybe not so much a wimp about this anymore. To tell the truth, she was still having a hard time believing that Ronon had just kissed her. "I thought... well, I guess it doesn't matter what I thought," she admitted, glancing up at him.

[feltgoodthough]

Ronon would normally argue with that but given what she had apparently thought, he was willing to let it slide. He reached down and took her hand. "Still want to go for a walk?"

[dojustfine]

"We can," she said. "Though... maybe we should go make sure my cat hasn't destroyed your hut," she amended, on second thought. Whatever they did, she wanted to spend the next little bit of time in Ronon's company.

[feltgoodthough]

Ronon didn't think it likely, the kitten did shred anything at ground level but once it started climbing that kept her too busy to be destructive. Not that he had much to destroy anyway. They turned back to New Atlantis to find Socks still curled up under her claimed bush - Ronon crouched down to check on her. That earned him a territorial hiss. "Waiting to unleash her destructive talents," he commented.

[dojustfine]

"I'm surprised she didn't already," Jennifer commented. She peered down to look at Socks, decided not to pet her given that she'd just hissed at Ronon, and then stood up again. She glanced at Ronon, then suddenly felt awkward. Where did they go from here? Again, Ronon was so hard to read, she wasn't sure what to do next.