Co-pilots.
[Rodney says it both as if it's a completely different word than it is, and as if it's the most distasteful thing he's ever said. John's apology does very little to assuage the discomfort he's feeling, and he avoids eye contact, very pointedly, as the two of them swarm into the kitchen looking rumpled and handsome and post-coital. For a moment, Rodney very strongly feels the lack of intimacy he's been dealing with, but he pushes it aside, because that's the last thing he intends to complain about right now.]
Well, I was going to have some herbal tea because I felt like, for once, I'd be able to actually sleep in this place, but no, that's ruined now. Now, I fully intend to make waffles.
[And if it seems like he's ignoring Poe well. Maybe he is. A little.]
[Rodney says it both as if it's a completely different word than it is, and as if it's the most distasteful thing he's ever said. John's apology does very little to assuage the discomfort he's feeling, and he avoids eye contact, very pointedly, as the two of them swarm into the kitchen looking rumpled and handsome and post-coital. For a moment, Rodney very strongly feels the lack of intimacy he's been dealing with, but he pushes it aside, because that's the last thing he intends to complain about right now.]
Well, I was going to have some herbal tea because I felt like, for once, I'd be able to actually sleep in this place, but no, that's ruined now. Now, I fully intend to make waffles.
[And if it seems like he's ignoring Poe well. Maybe he is. A little.]
[ FULL SASS MODE: ] Yes, sir.
I don't act on impulse.
[ One can almost here the awkwardness in her pause. ]
I don't typically act on impulse.
I don't act on impulse.
[ One can almost here the awkwardness in her pause. ]
I don't typically act on impulse.
The sock on the doorknob is a time-honored Earth tradition, but you know me and traditions. Never been much for them.
[The disgust in Rodney's voice hurts more than it should. John doesn't let it show, or tries not to, simply looking across the room at nothing in particular with only the briefest hint of a wince.
There's no explaining their relationship. It's complicated. Messy. Somewhere between brother, comrade, and friend, made up of all the best and worst parts. They don't get along, really. They don't even have much in common, other than an interest in remote controlled cars and a shared cause.
But that's just how family is. You don't choose them.
John's belly rumbles. He never did get around to eating dinner.]
Waffles sound good.
[The disgust in Rodney's voice hurts more than it should. John doesn't let it show, or tries not to, simply looking across the room at nothing in particular with only the briefest hint of a wince.
There's no explaining their relationship. It's complicated. Messy. Somewhere between brother, comrade, and friend, made up of all the best and worst parts. They don't get along, really. They don't even have much in common, other than an interest in remote controlled cars and a shared cause.
But that's just how family is. You don't choose them.
John's belly rumbles. He never did get around to eating dinner.]
Waffles sound good.
[ Poe shifts from his place at the counter, sensing some change in John that he doesn't like. He brushes John's arm lightly with his fingertips, a reminder of where they were last night, a promise of where they'll be again. It's another twist of possessiveness that he has no right to feel. ]
I like waffles.
[ Said as blandly as anything, just like Poe's mmkay when John asked him not to leave. He's not going anywhere unless Rodney kicks him out. ]
I like waffles.
[ Said as blandly as anything, just like Poe's mmkay when John asked him not to leave. He's not going anywhere unless Rodney kicks him out. ]
[ John is never really happy. Chyler knows, because she knows the feeling. She hasn't been happy for a long time. Not consistently. It comes in fits and starts, odd moments, arguments with Tom or their talks late at night, and now when John tells her about Atlantis. He lights up then, too, comes to life in a way she thinks he might have in the past, before life was too much to smile through.
But he's never really happy. Which is why Chyler notices when he suddenly is. It's a lightness she's not used to seeing from him, a calm that comes with smiles that reach his eyes.
She also notices the way he tracks that pilot of his whenever they're in the same room, ever since both of them showed up one day looking like they'd been beaten half to hell.
Chyler sets John's morning coffee on his desk, her other arm full of folders. ]
Did he kiss you?
But he's never really happy. Which is why Chyler notices when he suddenly is. It's a lightness she's not used to seeing from him, a calm that comes with smiles that reach his eyes.
She also notices the way he tracks that pilot of his whenever they're in the same room, ever since both of them showed up one day looking like they'd been beaten half to hell.
Chyler sets John's morning coffee on his desk, her other arm full of folders. ]
Did he kiss you?
Edited 2018-02-27 07:04 (UTC)
[John mid-sip when the question hits. He almost sprays the coffee onto Chyler's uniform and the folders, but keeps it in his (ballooned) cheeks through sheer force of will, and successfully chokes it down.]
Where the hell did that come from?
[John hadn't told Chyler about Poe. He hasn't told anyone. She knows they work together, and 'hang out' in their off-time, but he's never mentioned the fact they're anything more than comrades and friends. Has he been that obvious? If his face wasn't red from the coffee, it is now.
Teen-terminator from Planet Terror is the last person John expected call him out.]
And what's it to you?
Where the hell did that come from?
[John hadn't told Chyler about Poe. He hasn't told anyone. She knows they work together, and 'hang out' in their off-time, but he's never mentioned the fact they're anything more than comrades and friends. Has he been that obvious? If his face wasn't red from the coffee, it is now.
Teen-terminator from Planet Terror is the last person John expected call him out.]
And what's it to you?
[ Okay that reaction makes Chyler bite her lip to try and keep from smiling. It was way better than she was hoping for. It also completely and totally confirms her suspicions. ]
You moon at him.
[ She sorts through a few files, a smile still twitching at the corners of her lips as she puts two next to his coffee. ] And now he's mooning at you.
[ A RAISED EYEBROW. ] I'm concerned about it interfering with work.
You moon at him.
[ She sorts through a few files, a smile still twitching at the corners of her lips as she puts two next to his coffee. ] And now he's mooning at you.
[ A RAISED EYEBROW. ] I'm concerned about it interfering with work.
Edited 2018-02-28 06:01 (UTC)
I do not- he is?
[John can't help that stupid, lop-sided grin. It's the same stupid, lop-sided grin he gets when Poe calls, texts, or visits RR-1's tiny office.
He picks up the nearest file, a thick one, and swats her with it.]
And there's a reason I didn't ask him to be part of this team. That's called fraternization, and it's probably illegal here.
[John can't help that stupid, lop-sided grin. It's the same stupid, lop-sided grin he gets when Poe calls, texts, or visits RR-1's tiny office.
He picks up the nearest file, a thick one, and swats her with it.]
And there's a reason I didn't ask him to be part of this team. That's called fraternization, and it's probably illegal here.
[ John's response this time gets a full-bodied eyeroll. ] Yes, he is.
[ As though either man has been remotely subt--rude? ]
I know what it's called! [ Wait. ] That's why you didn't ask him to be part of the team? Because you wanted...
[ AN AIRY GESTURE that could mean anything from kisses to canoodling but Chyler will be damned if she says any of the above out loud. ]
[ As though either man has been remotely subt--rude? ]
I know what it's called! [ Wait. ] That's why you didn't ask him to be part of the team? Because you wanted...
[ AN AIRY GESTURE that could mean anything from kisses to canoodling but Chyler will be damned if she says any of the above out loud. ]
Get your mind out of the gutter, Silva.
[John leans back in his chair, kicking both booted feet up onto the corner of his desk, coffee in hand.
Poe moons at him. He smiles, takes a long drink of his coffee, and closes his eyes.
Just another morning in RR-1.]
Because it's dangerous, that's why. Distraction. Conflict of interest. Whatever you want to call it.
I know I might seem all-knowing and all-powerful, but I'm human too, y'know. It's hard enough making calls with the lives of my team on the line. The last thing I need is to make those calls any more difficult, or to give anyone reason to question my judgement.
When push comes to shove, you guys have to trust I'll make the right decision for the mission, and for everyone, not just for me.
[John leans back in his chair, kicking both booted feet up onto the corner of his desk, coffee in hand.
Poe moons at him. He smiles, takes a long drink of his coffee, and closes his eyes.
Just another morning in RR-1.]
Because it's dangerous, that's why. Distraction. Conflict of interest. Whatever you want to call it.
I know I might seem all-knowing and all-powerful, but I'm human too, y'know. It's hard enough making calls with the lives of my team on the line. The last thing I need is to make those calls any more difficult, or to give anyone reason to question my judgement.
When push comes to shove, you guys have to trust I'll make the right decision for the mission, and for everyone, not just for me.
oh look another thing that's backdated to right after her encounter with marco
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
childofaxios
2018-03-02 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ She doesn't go to John at the Perimeter Guard, doesn't seek him out in RR-1's offices. It takes her a while to work herself up to it, up to telling him...
Telling him everything, or as close to everything as she can force herself to get.
She goes to his rooms in communal housing, after dark, after spending an hour pacing on the rooftop trying to talk herself into it and out of it over and over again.
Chyler knocks. Definitively. Forcefully.
And about one second later, she turns and heads for the stairs. ]
Telling him everything, or as close to everything as she can force herself to get.
She goes to his rooms in communal housing, after dark, after spending an hour pacing on the rooftop trying to talk herself into it and out of it over and over again.
Chyler knocks. Definitively. Forcefully.
And about one second later, she turns and heads for the stairs. ]
Edited 2018-03-02 07:54 (UTC)
You don't seem either of those things.
[ Still, there's a small smile on her face, a warmth in her chest that's fragile and new. She trusts him. She trusts him completely.
That doesn't mean she'll go easy on him.
Chyler smacks his booted feet with one of her own files. ]
You're going to get dirt on your desk.
[ Still, there's a small smile on her face, a warmth in her chest that's fragile and new. She trusts him. She trusts him completely.
That doesn't mean she'll go easy on him.
Chyler smacks his booted feet with one of her own files. ]
You're going to get dirt on your desk.
[ He brought some of the powder with him.
He hadn't tried much at the rave, just enough to keep Finn company, but the whole time they threw themselves around in the crowd, the whole time Poe found himself warmed and comforted by every bump and brush with a stranger, the whole time he felt that tingle of euphoria, he was thinking about John.
So here he is at John's door, the keys to a hotel room in his hand, a cab waiting outside, practically vibrating with the desire to get his boyfriend (his boyfriend) in a private space where they won't risk interruption or awkwardness from either roommate. He's still got that mild glow in his head, his pupils very slightly dilated, and for the first time in a long time (for the first time since his Academy days), he's eager for more of that feeling. He's eager to share it.
Poe knocks. For probably the third time in less than a minute. ]
John! You're in, right? Come on, be in.
He hadn't tried much at the rave, just enough to keep Finn company, but the whole time they threw themselves around in the crowd, the whole time Poe found himself warmed and comforted by every bump and brush with a stranger, the whole time he felt that tingle of euphoria, he was thinking about John.
So here he is at John's door, the keys to a hotel room in his hand, a cab waiting outside, practically vibrating with the desire to get his boyfriend (his boyfriend) in a private space where they won't risk interruption or awkwardness from either roommate. He's still got that mild glow in his head, his pupils very slightly dilated, and for the first time in a long time (for the first time since his Academy days), he's eager for more of that feeling. He's eager to share it.
Poe knocks. For probably the third time in less than a minute. ]
John! You're in, right? Come on, be in.
Edited 2018-03-04 00:26 (UTC)
Chy?
[John sticks his head out of the quad door, catching her in the hallway.
She's never come to his quarters before. They spend a lot of time together, but it's always on the job. At the PG, or in the field. They'll grab a bite to eat sometimes, but they're in uniform. She still calls him sir.
Right now he's wearing a t-shirt with a cartoon rabbit on the front and some track pants, his hair even messier than usual. Bare foot. Off-duty Sheppard at his most leisure.]
What's up?
[John sticks his head out of the quad door, catching her in the hallway.
She's never come to his quarters before. They spend a lot of time together, but it's always on the job. At the PG, or in the field. They'll grab a bite to eat sometimes, but they're in uniform. She still calls him sir.
Right now he's wearing a t-shirt with a cartoon rabbit on the front and some track pants, his hair even messier than usual. Bare foot. Off-duty Sheppard at his most leisure.]
What's up?
Edited 2018-03-04 01:33 (UTC)
I'm coming!
[Yelled from the kitchen, where John was doing the dishes. At 2am. As one does. He opens the door wearing yellow rubber gloves, mouth pursed with unspoken worry. They usually call before meeting up with each other, and after all the time they've been spending together recently, John's half expecting Poe to get tired of him.
His first instinct is that something's wrong. Either there's something going down at the PG, Kylo's gone postal again, or Poe's changed his mind about them. It probably speaks to John's experience that he always expects the worst.
Then he sees the look in Poe's eyes, bright and glassy. The tension in his body. Like he's wired, and ready to spring. Excited. He quirks a brow.]
Are you... okay?
[Yelled from the kitchen, where John was doing the dishes. At 2am. As one does. He opens the door wearing yellow rubber gloves, mouth pursed with unspoken worry. They usually call before meeting up with each other, and after all the time they've been spending together recently, John's half expecting Poe to get tired of him.
His first instinct is that something's wrong. Either there's something going down at the PG, Kylo's gone postal again, or Poe's changed his mind about them. It probably speaks to John's experience that he always expects the worst.
Then he sees the look in Poe's eyes, bright and glassy. The tension in his body. Like he's wired, and ready to spring. Excited. He quirks a brow.]
Are you... okay?
Edited 2018-03-04 02:04 (UTC)
Fine. [ Poe kisses him. It feels even better than he though it would, his heartbeat thumping in his lips, the pleasant tingle of contact sending a rush of hazy pleasure through him.
And that’s just a dab of it, a few streaks on the skin. The thought of John painting his skin with it, marking Poe however he wants, sends another little hum of pleasure through Poe that has very little to do with the intoxication he already feels. ] I’ve been thinking about that for hours.
[ He pulls John close, rubber gloves and all, shivering at the press of their bodies together. ] Ditch the dishes and come with me.
And that’s just a dab of it, a few streaks on the skin. The thought of John painting his skin with it, marking Poe however he wants, sends another little hum of pleasure through Poe that has very little to do with the intoxication he already feels. ] I’ve been thinking about that for hours.
[ He pulls John close, rubber gloves and all, shivering at the press of their bodies together. ] Ditch the dishes and come with me.
Edited 2018-03-04 03:46 (UTC)
Uh, okay.
[John laughs a little, still looking into Poe's eyes, his lips tingling and heart already beating hard. He doesn't even think to ask where they're going, or why.
Poe was thinking about him, is here, and wants him. John can't argue with that. Doesn't want to. The dishes were almost done, anyway. Rodney can finish them. Not that John really thinks he will.]
Let me just, take these off and put on some real clothes-
[John laughs a little, still looking into Poe's eyes, his lips tingling and heart already beating hard. He doesn't even think to ask where they're going, or why.
Poe was thinking about him, is here, and wants him. John can't argue with that. Doesn't want to. The dishes were almost done, anyway. Rodney can finish them. Not that John really thinks he will.]
Let me just, take these off and put on some real clothes-
[ For a second she just stares at him, taken off-guard by... well, everything. The nickname, the clothes.
And the hair. But that's not as surprising. ]
John....
[ It's small, quiet, uncertain. Chyler bites her lip. ]
Can I talk to you?
And the hair. But that's not as surprising. ]
John....
[ It's small, quiet, uncertain. Chyler bites her lip. ]
Can I talk to you?
Yeah, sure. Come in.
[John holds the door open.
The quad is asleep, or out for the night. Almost everyone on the floor is in the PG and works long shifts and odd hours. It's not much to look at, but it's clean, more or less. There's no one living here that's into decorating.
John rubs the back of his neck, already worried. He tries not to look it.]
Do you want to hang out on the living room, I don't think we'll run into anyone, but we might. There's my room, too. Rodney's still working.
[John holds the door open.
The quad is asleep, or out for the night. Almost everyone on the floor is in the PG and works long shifts and odd hours. It's not much to look at, but it's clean, more or less. There's no one living here that's into decorating.
John rubs the back of his neck, already worried. He tries not to look it.]
Do you want to hang out on the living room, I don't think we'll run into anyone, but we might. There's my room, too. Rodney's still working.
[ Chyler considers it, considers the possibility for interruption. If she gets interrupted she might not be able to start again. She walks in, trying to keep her posture straight, her chin up. ]
Your room, please, sir.
Your room, please, sir.
We're not on the clock, Chyler. Call me John. Or don't.
[He steers her towards the double room he shares with Rodney.
It's easy to tell whose side of the room is whose. Rodney's is messy, scattered with coffee cups, papers, and socks. John's is neat, everything in its place, including his many toys. There's also a strangely motivating poster of Poe Dameron taped to the inside of his closet door, which he closes almost as soon as she enters the room.]
You can take a seat on the beanbag chair.
[Of course John has a beanbag chair. He's from the 2000s.]
[He steers her towards the double room he shares with Rodney.
It's easy to tell whose side of the room is whose. Rodney's is messy, scattered with coffee cups, papers, and socks. John's is neat, everything in its place, including his many toys. There's also a strangely motivating poster of Poe Dameron taped to the inside of his closet door, which he closes almost as soon as she enters the room.]
You can take a seat on the beanbag chair.
[Of course John has a beanbag chair. He's from the 2000s.]
Edited 2018-03-04 06:05 (UTC)
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