[Stargate: Drabble] "Valentine Advice" [John/Rodney, G]
Title: Valentine Advice
Author: Ami Ven
Rating: G
Word Count: 600
Prompt: mcsheplets challenge #013 ‘valentine’
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Summary: Rodney asks Teyla for a bit of advice.
Valentine Advice
“Oh, hey, Teyla,” said Rodney, when she opened her door. “I’m not… waking anyone, am I?”
Teyla smiled and gestured him inside. “No, Rodney. In fact, I am alone at the moment. Kanaan has gone to the biology lab, and Torren is with John, on his run.”
One or two mornings a week, now, when John went running with Ronon, he brought Torren along, in a back-pack carrier that reminded Rodney of Luke Skywalker training with Yoda on Dagobah. John said the extra weight was good for his training, and Torren loved the sea air. Rodney already had plans to find the kid a little Yoda hat for his next birthday.
“Rodney,” said Teyla, interrupting his thoughts. “Will you have a cup of tea with me?”
“Sure,” he agreed. He’d already had two cups of coffee and he was actually getting used to the taste of Athosian tea.
She handed him a cup and poured a second for herself. “Would you care to speak of what is bothering you?” she asked.
Rodney didn’t even bother to ask how she knew that anymore. “It’s Valentine’s Day next week,” he said. “One of the more ridiculous Earth holidays.”
“We have celebrated it here before,” she reminded him. “It is a holiday of romantic love, but also of friendships and bonds of family.”
“Well, yeah,” agreed Rodney. “But up until now, it’s always been Singles Awareness Day, where people who are seeing someone become disgustingly sappy to remind the rest of us that we’re miserably alone.”
Teyla hid a smirk behind her teacup. “You are no longer alone, Rodney.”
He knew his grin was slightly dopey, but found he didn’t care. “But that’s the problem,” he said, smile fading. “I’ve never been dating someone on Valentine’s Day before! Well, not ‘never’, but not in a long time. And they were all women.”
“I believe you have worried yourself with no cause,” said Teyla. “I do not believe such planning is necessary.”
“Rodney scowled. “I can’t just ignore the whole holiday! John will think I don’t lo- care about him.”
Teyla’s reappearing smirk told him she’d caught his verbal slip. “Rodney,” she said, reaching out to touch his arm, “you and John… care about each other very much. I have seen that from the first.”
“I didn’t even like him at first,” Rodney muttered into his tea, which was a lie and they both knew it.
“Perhaps,” Teyla continued, with the hint of a smile, “you are not the first person with whom I have discussed this topic.”
“What? John talked to you?”
“I did not say that,” she replied serenely. “But perhaps that person was also wondering what to do when none of your world’s traditions seemed appropriate.”
“The idiot,” said Rodney. “As if I wanted hearts and flowers. I wouldn’t say no to chocolate, of course, but I’d much rather we just had a few hours to ourselves and- Oh. I hate when you do that.”
Teyla’s smile was a little teasing, but mostly affectionate. “Finnish your tea, Rodney.”
“So,” said Rodney that night, when John got back from a late patrol and climbed into bed. “Next week is Valentine’s Day.”
“Yeah, about that,” said John, and Rodney froze.
Had he completely misread this whole thing? John was here, in his bed, and he couldn’t possibly-
But John just rolled closer and continued, “Teyla and Kanaan are planning some kind of romantic getaway, and I told them we’d watch Torren… What?”
It took him a full five minutes to get Rodney calm enough to explain why he had suddenly burst out laughing.
THE END
Current Mood:
pensive
Author: Ami Ven
Rating: G
Word Count: 600
Prompt: mcsheplets challenge #013 ‘valentine’
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Summary: Rodney asks Teyla for a bit of advice.
Valentine Advice
“Oh, hey, Teyla,” said Rodney, when she opened her door. “I’m not… waking anyone, am I?”
Teyla smiled and gestured him inside. “No, Rodney. In fact, I am alone at the moment. Kanaan has gone to the biology lab, and Torren is with John, on his run.”
One or two mornings a week, now, when John went running with Ronon, he brought Torren along, in a back-pack carrier that reminded Rodney of Luke Skywalker training with Yoda on Dagobah. John said the extra weight was good for his training, and Torren loved the sea air. Rodney already had plans to find the kid a little Yoda hat for his next birthday.
“Rodney,” said Teyla, interrupting his thoughts. “Will you have a cup of tea with me?”
“Sure,” he agreed. He’d already had two cups of coffee and he was actually getting used to the taste of Athosian tea.
She handed him a cup and poured a second for herself. “Would you care to speak of what is bothering you?” she asked.
Rodney didn’t even bother to ask how she knew that anymore. “It’s Valentine’s Day next week,” he said. “One of the more ridiculous Earth holidays.”
“We have celebrated it here before,” she reminded him. “It is a holiday of romantic love, but also of friendships and bonds of family.”
“Well, yeah,” agreed Rodney. “But up until now, it’s always been Singles Awareness Day, where people who are seeing someone become disgustingly sappy to remind the rest of us that we’re miserably alone.”
Teyla hid a smirk behind her teacup. “You are no longer alone, Rodney.”
He knew his grin was slightly dopey, but found he didn’t care. “But that’s the problem,” he said, smile fading. “I’ve never been dating someone on Valentine’s Day before! Well, not ‘never’, but not in a long time. And they were all women.”
“I believe you have worried yourself with no cause,” said Teyla. “I do not believe such planning is necessary.”
“Rodney scowled. “I can’t just ignore the whole holiday! John will think I don’t lo- care about him.”
Teyla’s reappearing smirk told him she’d caught his verbal slip. “Rodney,” she said, reaching out to touch his arm, “you and John… care about each other very much. I have seen that from the first.”
“I didn’t even like him at first,” Rodney muttered into his tea, which was a lie and they both knew it.
“Perhaps,” Teyla continued, with the hint of a smile, “you are not the first person with whom I have discussed this topic.”
“What? John talked to you?”
“I did not say that,” she replied serenely. “But perhaps that person was also wondering what to do when none of your world’s traditions seemed appropriate.”
“The idiot,” said Rodney. “As if I wanted hearts and flowers. I wouldn’t say no to chocolate, of course, but I’d much rather we just had a few hours to ourselves and- Oh. I hate when you do that.”
Teyla’s smile was a little teasing, but mostly affectionate. “Finnish your tea, Rodney.”
“So,” said Rodney that night, when John got back from a late patrol and climbed into bed. “Next week is Valentine’s Day.”
“Yeah, about that,” said John, and Rodney froze.
Had he completely misread this whole thing? John was here, in his bed, and he couldn’t possibly-
But John just rolled closer and continued, “Teyla and Kanaan are planning some kind of romantic getaway, and I told them we’d watch Torren… What?”
It took him a full five minutes to get Rodney calm enough to explain why he had suddenly burst out laughing.
THE END
Current Mood:
pensive