Ficlet: Eternity in an Hour Cam/John PG13
Okay, I don't write Cam/John much, but this prompt caught my eye on comment_fic. So I wrote it. It won't be something I write regularly, however. :-) Evan won't let me.
SGA/SG-1, John/Cam, It could be the last time they see each other.
Eternity in an Hour
Cam is drinking a beer and looking out of his windows at the rain, when there is a knock on his door. He opens it, and smiles, holds out his arms to embrace a rain-wet John Sheppard and kisses his chilly lips. "Hey, this is a surprise," he says, looking for another kiss; nibbling at the corner of John's mouth where the rain mingles with the taste of his lover.
John places his palms against Cam's chest and pushes him back, gently. "I have to talk to you," he says. Cam knows this isn't good. John, who is seldom serious even in dire situations, is looking a bit pale and spooked.
"What's up?"
John steps inside. He shrugs out of his wet coat and shakes the rain from his hair, running his hand through the rough ends. Cam thinks he's beautiful. He lets John compose himself. "Can I get you something?"
"Coffee?"
That he doesn't want a beer or Scotch is a surprise. "Sure. Sit down and I'll be right there." He goes into the kitchen and nukes a mug of coffee. He hands it to John, who wraps his fingers around the heat gratefully, even though it's not really cold in the condo.
"So?" Cam sits and slides his arm along the back of the couch, inviting John to settle.
John sighs. "So, you like what you do?"
"Best job in the world," Cam says, smiling. He's still concerned, though.
"What do you know about Atlantis?"
Cam feels like he's been punched in the gut. "Shit, John. When you said you'd been offered a position with SGC, I thought you meant ... you know, like me. With me."
"I've got this gene," he says, and tells him the whole story. Antarctica, O'Neill, the chair, Dr. Weir. "I don't know what to do."
Cam thinks of all the answers he could give. The one answer he selfishly wants to give John. Instead he looks into John's eyes, kisses his hand and holds it; wondering if this will be the last time he'll be able to do it. "What do you want to do?" he asks instead.
"There's nothing holding me here," he says, but he's looking into Cam's eyes. "Just one person I'll miss ... and hell, we've got a Stargate, right?" He doesn't tell Cam about the odds against them ever returning to earth, but he expects he knows.
Cam lifts his chin. "Hey, every time I go through the gate I could die. Every time I get into my car, I could die. We've both been in war zones on Earth. What's so damn different about this?"
"It feels like goodbye."
"Maybe." Cam's chest hurts and he can tell from looking at John that he feels it, too. "What do you want," he asks again, gently.
"I don't want to be bored. I want to go through that Gate."
"It would be selfish of me to tell you not to go ... not when I do it every day. It's the biggest rush, ever. It's ... " Cam pauses and threads his fingers through John's, feeling the fine, strong bones. "I'll miss you."
"Yeah." John looks both sad and relieved, like he's made up his mind. "I mean, who knows what we'll find, right? A whole cave of those ZPMs that McKay is always talking about."
"You're taking him with you, right?"
"Yeah." John grins, and Cam's heart lightens at the sound.
"Come back," he says, suddenly fierce as he turns to John and kisses him hard and deep. "Come back to me."
"Hey," John's fingers brush over Cam's short hair. "I'm just a gate address away."
A gate address and a lifetime, Cam thinks. He won't accept that he and John will never be together. He's seen too much to admit that possibility. "How long do you have before you leave?"
"A week at Cheyenne Mountain, then a few days of heavy prep."
Cam nods, relieved. He traces John's lips with his thumb, memorizing every contour, kissing him to remember every taste. He has maybe ten days to memorize and map every inch of John's body, to burn every expression into his memory.
"Let's make the most of it," he says. He stands and holds out his hand. He pulls John to his feet and they head to the bedroom, wrapped around each other, stumbling a bit in their haste and need. For now, this is their world, their eternity.
The End
SGA/SG-1, John/Cam, It could be the last time they see each other.
Eternity in an Hour
Cam is drinking a beer and looking out of his windows at the rain, when there is a knock on his door. He opens it, and smiles, holds out his arms to embrace a rain-wet John Sheppard and kisses his chilly lips. "Hey, this is a surprise," he says, looking for another kiss; nibbling at the corner of John's mouth where the rain mingles with the taste of his lover.
John places his palms against Cam's chest and pushes him back, gently. "I have to talk to you," he says. Cam knows this isn't good. John, who is seldom serious even in dire situations, is looking a bit pale and spooked.
"What's up?"
John steps inside. He shrugs out of his wet coat and shakes the rain from his hair, running his hand through the rough ends. Cam thinks he's beautiful. He lets John compose himself. "Can I get you something?"
"Coffee?"
That he doesn't want a beer or Scotch is a surprise. "Sure. Sit down and I'll be right there." He goes into the kitchen and nukes a mug of coffee. He hands it to John, who wraps his fingers around the heat gratefully, even though it's not really cold in the condo.
"So?" Cam sits and slides his arm along the back of the couch, inviting John to settle.
John sighs. "So, you like what you do?"
"Best job in the world," Cam says, smiling. He's still concerned, though.
"What do you know about Atlantis?"
Cam feels like he's been punched in the gut. "Shit, John. When you said you'd been offered a position with SGC, I thought you meant ... you know, like me. With me."
"I've got this gene," he says, and tells him the whole story. Antarctica, O'Neill, the chair, Dr. Weir. "I don't know what to do."
Cam thinks of all the answers he could give. The one answer he selfishly wants to give John. Instead he looks into John's eyes, kisses his hand and holds it; wondering if this will be the last time he'll be able to do it. "What do you want to do?" he asks instead.
"There's nothing holding me here," he says, but he's looking into Cam's eyes. "Just one person I'll miss ... and hell, we've got a Stargate, right?" He doesn't tell Cam about the odds against them ever returning to earth, but he expects he knows.
Cam lifts his chin. "Hey, every time I go through the gate I could die. Every time I get into my car, I could die. We've both been in war zones on Earth. What's so damn different about this?"
"It feels like goodbye."
"Maybe." Cam's chest hurts and he can tell from looking at John that he feels it, too. "What do you want," he asks again, gently.
"I don't want to be bored. I want to go through that Gate."
"It would be selfish of me to tell you not to go ... not when I do it every day. It's the biggest rush, ever. It's ... " Cam pauses and threads his fingers through John's, feeling the fine, strong bones. "I'll miss you."
"Yeah." John looks both sad and relieved, like he's made up his mind. "I mean, who knows what we'll find, right? A whole cave of those ZPMs that McKay is always talking about."
"You're taking him with you, right?"
"Yeah." John grins, and Cam's heart lightens at the sound.
"Come back," he says, suddenly fierce as he turns to John and kisses him hard and deep. "Come back to me."
"Hey," John's fingers brush over Cam's short hair. "I'm just a gate address away."
A gate address and a lifetime, Cam thinks. He won't accept that he and John will never be together. He's seen too much to admit that possibility. "How long do you have before you leave?"
"A week at Cheyenne Mountain, then a few days of heavy prep."
Cam nods, relieved. He traces John's lips with his thumb, memorizing every contour, kissing him to remember every taste. He has maybe ten days to memorize and map every inch of John's body, to burn every expression into his memory.
"Let's make the most of it," he says. He stands and holds out his hand. He pulls John to his feet and they head to the bedroom, wrapped around each other, stumbling a bit in their haste and need. For now, this is their world, their eternity.
The End