CT: Unexpected
Patient’s Name: John Sheppard
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Prompt: 60.4 - Notebook Quote
Spoilers: None whatsoever.
Word Count: 1, 010
Partner: Evan Lorne (au)
---
Larrin had once more pulled the bait-and-switch on Sheppard, and he was getting tired of it. He hated that she had the power to reduce him to the male default reaction by way of feigned advances and then exploit him. He'd been played before, sure. Just not this badly and never twice by the same woman. He was frustrated, and it showed. He figured the lack of any sort of stable sexual relationship in his life was to blame, but his options in that regard were increasingly limited. The only woman he really wanted and would have considered a major contender in that area had been claimed by someone else, due in some part to Sheppard's inability and unwillingness to make any overt advances. His friends got the brunt of his frustrations, as he pined over his "One That Got Away" and they, in general, took his whinging in stride, while Lorne, McKay and Ronon in particular teased him every opportunity they could when it wasn't exceedingly callous to do so.
So it was no surprise that Lorne had commented on the latest Larrin fiasco in a jokingly good-natured way. "Women just aren't your strong point, huh? Maybe you should rethink your approach on'em?" he had said with a grin and a wink. Sheppard, bemused at the Major's effort to provide some levity to the situation, had clapped the other man on the shoulder and offered the first genuine smile to curve his lips in many weeks.
He could see, now, how that gesture had possibly been the wrong thing to do, but dammit how was he supposed to know that it would be so badly misconstrued?
"You're bored Sheppard. You're bored and you know it. You wouldn't be here if there wasn't something missing," Lorne said, a little angry.
Sheppard could hardly believe what it was he was hearing. There was no way this conversation was happening, no way at all. He had issues with not seeing things like this coming from women, but this? This was more than a total blind-siding. ...And where the hell did Lorne get off assuming such a thing about Sheppard?
"You arrogant son of a bitch," Sheppard growled. "You know nothing about me, Major. How dare you..."
"Would you just stay with me?" Lorne said, cutting him off.
"Stay with you?" Sheppard asked, feeling the colour rising in his cheeks. "It's not exactly the way I swing. And even if I did, then what for? Look at us, we're already fighting!"
"Well that's what we do, Sir," Lorne replied, throwing the title out as callously as Sheppard had thrown out his rank just moments before. "You and I, we fight...you tell me when I am being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you're a pain in the ass. Which you are, ninety-nine percent of the time, by the way," he added, not letting his superior get a word in. "I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings. You have like a two-second rebound rate, then you're back doing the next pain-in-the-ass thing."
Sheppard scrubbed a hand through his hair in agitation. "If I'm such a pain in the ass, then how can you stand me?"
"Because..." It was obvious that Lorne couldn't say the words he really wanted to, couldn't make them real or tangible. This was already a precarious situation, and Sheppard knew just as surely as Lorne did that saying the wrong thing would just collapse whatever was now left of their friendship. "Because you're my friend, and friends stand by each other, no matter what."
Sheppard gave Lorne a hurt look. "If you were my friend, you would never have told me. I was better off not knowing, Evan," he said calmly, trying to let some of his initial anger dissipate. "Because right now? I don't even know how to act around you anymore without thinking about how it's going to come across. It's bad enough seeing how I may have inadvertently led you on prior to this, and if there's one thing I've always prided myself on it's that I never mess with anyone in that manner. I either flirt with a clear intention of following up, or I don't, and when I don't the other person always, always knows and understands that it's just fun banter that's going no further than the words we speak." Sheppard shook his head. "You should have trusted me enough earlier on to tell me about your sexual preferences, and hell..." another hand was run through the perpetually messy hair, "I woulda been cool to let you drag me into some of that banter when we hung out, despite my own preferences."
With a soft snort and another sad glance at Lorne, Sheppard shook his head and turned to leave.
"So I guess this means I'll be reassigned?" Lorne called out, making the Colonel pause.
Sheppard looked over his shoulder at him. "Atlantis is your home as much as it's mine," he said after a long silence. "So no. I won't be reassigning you. I just....let's just say that we won't be scheduled to work together for a long while. Not unless absolutely necessary."
Sheppard knew the other man well enough to see that Lorne had braced himself for any answer but that one. The shock on his face was clearly evident. Lorne's mouth worked for a moment as he tried to form the words to a proper response. "...Thank you, Sir," he managed, before Sheppard finally had to leave, and he turned away to disappear into the hallway.
Sheppard also knew Lorne well enough to know that the other man would stand and study the floor beneath his feet for a long time, the conversation reverberating in his head until the words were a dull roar. Perhaps their friendship could be salvaged. It would take a massive amount of time, Sheppard knew, and since Lorne couldn't have the Colonel in his arms, he'd have to settle for having Sheppard watch his back, as he had always done before.
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Prompt: 60.4 - Notebook Quote
Spoilers: None whatsoever.
Word Count: 1, 010
Partner: Evan Lorne (au)
---
Larrin had once more pulled the bait-and-switch on Sheppard, and he was getting tired of it. He hated that she had the power to reduce him to the male default reaction by way of feigned advances and then exploit him. He'd been played before, sure. Just not this badly and never twice by the same woman. He was frustrated, and it showed. He figured the lack of any sort of stable sexual relationship in his life was to blame, but his options in that regard were increasingly limited. The only woman he really wanted and would have considered a major contender in that area had been claimed by someone else, due in some part to Sheppard's inability and unwillingness to make any overt advances. His friends got the brunt of his frustrations, as he pined over his "One That Got Away" and they, in general, took his whinging in stride, while Lorne, McKay and Ronon in particular teased him every opportunity they could when it wasn't exceedingly callous to do so.
So it was no surprise that Lorne had commented on the latest Larrin fiasco in a jokingly good-natured way. "Women just aren't your strong point, huh? Maybe you should rethink your approach on'em?" he had said with a grin and a wink. Sheppard, bemused at the Major's effort to provide some levity to the situation, had clapped the other man on the shoulder and offered the first genuine smile to curve his lips in many weeks.
He could see, now, how that gesture had possibly been the wrong thing to do, but dammit how was he supposed to know that it would be so badly misconstrued?
"You're bored Sheppard. You're bored and you know it. You wouldn't be here if there wasn't something missing," Lorne said, a little angry.
Sheppard could hardly believe what it was he was hearing. There was no way this conversation was happening, no way at all. He had issues with not seeing things like this coming from women, but this? This was more than a total blind-siding. ...And where the hell did Lorne get off assuming such a thing about Sheppard?
"You arrogant son of a bitch," Sheppard growled. "You know nothing about me, Major. How dare you..."
"Would you just stay with me?" Lorne said, cutting him off.
"Stay with you?" Sheppard asked, feeling the colour rising in his cheeks. "It's not exactly the way I swing. And even if I did, then what for? Look at us, we're already fighting!"
"Well that's what we do, Sir," Lorne replied, throwing the title out as callously as Sheppard had thrown out his rank just moments before. "You and I, we fight...you tell me when I am being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you're a pain in the ass. Which you are, ninety-nine percent of the time, by the way," he added, not letting his superior get a word in. "I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings. You have like a two-second rebound rate, then you're back doing the next pain-in-the-ass thing."
Sheppard scrubbed a hand through his hair in agitation. "If I'm such a pain in the ass, then how can you stand me?"
"Because..." It was obvious that Lorne couldn't say the words he really wanted to, couldn't make them real or tangible. This was already a precarious situation, and Sheppard knew just as surely as Lorne did that saying the wrong thing would just collapse whatever was now left of their friendship. "Because you're my friend, and friends stand by each other, no matter what."
Sheppard gave Lorne a hurt look. "If you were my friend, you would never have told me. I was better off not knowing, Evan," he said calmly, trying to let some of his initial anger dissipate. "Because right now? I don't even know how to act around you anymore without thinking about how it's going to come across. It's bad enough seeing how I may have inadvertently led you on prior to this, and if there's one thing I've always prided myself on it's that I never mess with anyone in that manner. I either flirt with a clear intention of following up, or I don't, and when I don't the other person always, always knows and understands that it's just fun banter that's going no further than the words we speak." Sheppard shook his head. "You should have trusted me enough earlier on to tell me about your sexual preferences, and hell..." another hand was run through the perpetually messy hair, "I woulda been cool to let you drag me into some of that banter when we hung out, despite my own preferences."
With a soft snort and another sad glance at Lorne, Sheppard shook his head and turned to leave.
"So I guess this means I'll be reassigned?" Lorne called out, making the Colonel pause.
Sheppard looked over his shoulder at him. "Atlantis is your home as much as it's mine," he said after a long silence. "So no. I won't be reassigning you. I just....let's just say that we won't be scheduled to work together for a long while. Not unless absolutely necessary."
Sheppard knew the other man well enough to see that Lorne had braced himself for any answer but that one. The shock on his face was clearly evident. Lorne's mouth worked for a moment as he tried to form the words to a proper response. "...Thank you, Sir," he managed, before Sheppard finally had to leave, and he turned away to disappear into the hallway.
Sheppard also knew Lorne well enough to know that the other man would stand and study the floor beneath his feet for a long time, the conversation reverberating in his head until the words were a dull roar. Perhaps their friendship could be salvaged. It would take a massive amount of time, Sheppard knew, and since Lorne couldn't have the Colonel in his arms, he'd have to settle for having Sheppard watch his back, as he had always done before.