[They're standing in the middle of John's bachelor post-move, the entirety of his crap stacked in boxes against the walls. For all John's gadgets and toys, it doesn't amount to a hell of a lot. He'd dumped most of Carson and Rodney's stuff off on Jeff.
He wasn't kidding about the downsize. It's a fraction of the size of the rental house, and doesn't have half the amenities. If John's paying for anything, it's location. He's got a good view from the balcony, and a short walk (or skateboard) to work.
John cracks open another beer and hands it over. Between the two of them, they've half polished off a box of pizza and a twelve pack. Such is the nature of moving. He takes a lazy seat on the edge of his mattress, conveniently located on the floor, and stretches his legs out in front of him.]
[ Jeff takes the beer, though he only plans on nursing the can. Sober living! Well, mostly sober. Joining John on the mattress, he settles back on one hand and looks around. ]
It's got... potential! And you can't beat that view.
[ He shoots John a cheerful smile. ]
Hey, I owed you big time for the furniture. [ Teasingly: ] Now my debt to you is paid off.
Yeah. I've got a thing for views. Where I'm from, I had this oceanfront... water lit up at night with all the city lights.
[John's on his third can, which isn't saying a whole lot. He's career military and a pilot. He knows how to drink.
Thinking about Atlantis is a fast way to a fourth, but he'll hold back in the presence of company. John likes Jeff enough to want to remember what they talked about in the morning.]
Oh really? I'll have to think of something new to keep you on the line. Don't wanna let the big one get away.
Next time shit goes down, remind me to save your life.
Me too. I grew up in Santa Monica, so... [ He gets you on those beautiful oceanfront views. Sure, he never actually lived on the beach, didn't have a view from his parents' house, but he had easy access to it. ] God, I miss being able to hit the beach whenever I wanted.
[ Sure, there are beaches in Virginia, but IT'S NOT THE SAME.
Anyway, he looks at John, brow quirked. ]
'The big one'? [ He can't help it; he snickers. YEAH YEAH HE ASSUMES IT'S A FISHING TERM OR SOMETHING, but for a 40-something man, he can still be such a teenager about things sometimes. Jeff offers John his hand, to shake on what he's about to say. ] All right. You've got dibs to save my life next time.
I love California. I would've stayed there, if I could've. But I joined the air force straight outta college, and you know the military hates people being too comfortable.
[John's turn to sigh.]
The surfing.
[He looks from Jeff's face down to his hand and back again. The guy is just too damn friendly. Like a big dog. John's not huge on casual touch, but... he takes Jeff's hand, gives it a lazy shake.]
Good to know I've got someone to help me move for the next decade.
My ex was working in DC too. Doing big things. She always had more of a career than I did.
[Now he really looks at Jeff.
They haven't known each other that long, but at their age? The pickings are pretty slim. People get more stuck in themselves as they get older. It's harder to click. John could talk to almost anyone in his twenties. Now? Anyone under thirty might as well be a kid.
They're as different as they are similar, but the connection is there.
[ Were they married to the same woman? IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY WERE. Jeff smiles a little, then settles back again, lounging and relaxed. ]
Mine too. She's happier now.
[ He and Lisa get along as well as can be, with a broken marriage between them. Really, it was the best thing for both of them-- and Mel, too. Better the arrangement they have now than what likely would've become a tense and miserable household full of quiet resentment. ]
Okay. You're stuck with me as long as we're both on this moon. [ Because yeah, Jeff's going back to Mel as soon as it's feasible. But until then... ] C'mon, man, there's only like four other people in our age group here. This is a city of babies.
Probably helps to not be saddled down with a piece of shit, waste of space husband. John doesn't know Jeff's story, but he sure knows his own. Nancy lost 140lbs of dead weight when she divorced him.]
It's like they picked people based on their expiration date.
[He crunches his beer can in his hand, and tosses it into the singular wastebasket at the opposite side of the room. Slam dunk.]
[ Jeff's thoughts on his divorce only contain a FRACTION OF THE SELF-LOATHING John applies to his own. But he gives the other man a sideways look, watching him attentively. ]
It's just me and my daughter. God, I haven't even taken anyone past the third date in, ah... eight years? It's hard, with a kid.
[ Not as hard as he's making it out to be, though. There's definitely an element of Jeff refusing to open himself up to anything more with anyone since Lisa. ]
[John releases his last can of the night from the package and leans back on one elbow.
Fridays are different when you get older. After a long week of shooting, flying, and paperwork on top of moving, this is as close to a night out as he's interested in.]
I've got a team. Had a few of them here, with me, but they've all headed back. Got lucky with portal. It's for the best.
[He nods. Maybe if he tells himself hard enough, he'll start believing it.]
Oh yeah! [ Jeff's perking up instantly at the opportunity to show off his little girl. He sets the beer down on the ground and reaches into his pocket, pulling out his phone. Look, a pic! ]
That's her. Mel-- short for Melody, but she's pretty much always been Mel. [ He quirks his lips, a little smile teasing at the corners of his mouth. ] I used to be a musician, so... [ As if the name needs to be explained. He laughs a little. ] I know it's cliche.
[ There are more pics, BUT HE WON'T START GOING THROUGH HIS PHONE'S GALLERY UNLESS JOHN WANTS HIM TO. ]
Oh... [ He opens his mouth, almost asks why John's still here, instead of taking the portal back with them, but... maybe that's prying too much. ]
Sorry. Even if it's for the best, that doesn't... make it easy to say goodbye. [ Hell, Jeff knows a thing or two about that. ]
[John can't help smiling at the way Jeff smiles at her. The picture of a proud dad. It always hurts a little, knowing that'll never be him. The best he can do is live vicariously through people.
Someone's got to make the big sacrifices. It's better he doesn't have anyone small relying on him.]
It's alright. Can't say the PG is a step up from the air force, but I get to fly fast things and shoot bad guys with good people, so I can't really complain.
All things considered? I'd rather be back home, but there are worse places to be.
She can be. [ He says it with nothing but fondness. Jeff pockets his phone again, then smiles at John. ]
Yeah. All things considered. [ He rubs the back of his neck. ] It's not a bad place to be while waiting for a ticket home.
[ And he's not alone here. He's got Athena, which has been a lifesaver from the loneliness he'd been feeling. Though... not something he really wants to rub in to a guy who's just lost his own people. ]
Must be hard though, being away from her. You two close?
[He can imagine Jeff as a father. Doting. Funny. Kind. The opposite of his father, and the kind of father John would want to be, if he'd ever had his own.
Overall, Jeff is a nice person. Almost too nice. If they were anywhere but here, it's unlikely they'd have crossed paths. John's in the business of protecting nice people, which means he spends most of his time around assholes, being an asshole. Because that's who you've got to be to compete with them.
Yeah. [ There's a flicker of sadness in his face, but Jeff's quick to try to mask it with his usual cheerful and pleasant demeanor. It's not how he feels all the time, but it's the go-to face he wears. ]
Though she'd probably say I hover too much. Y'know. Teenagers.
[ He twists a little, to better face John, brows going up a bit. No, people have told him that before, but he hadn't expected it in the moment. ]
Yeah, well, I'll let you in on a secret. [ Leaning in, teasing, and a little flirty, because Jeff Calhoun's just... one of those guys who just seems effortlessly flirty. Like it's a part of him, not an affectation. ] I wasn't always so sweet.
[John nods his head, thinking of his young protege Chyler Silva. The only human alive more stubborn than he is.
There's a shift in Jeff. A decidedly hot shift. He can't tell if it's on purpose, or just Jeff being Jeff. The man has a way about him. Their little excursion to the amusement park felt a hell of a lot more like a date than a hangout. Probably because when Jeff looks at you, he really looks at you.
For a little while, John forgot he was alone.
John shifts too. A smirk, and a quirk of his brow.]
Oh yeah? There's a little spice to go with everything nice? I'm gonna need some hard evidence.
[ Jeff moves in, closing more of the distance between them, but stops short, a look crossing his face. ]
Sorry. It just occurred to me that we're sitting on a mattress, trading innuendo and talking about hard evidence and--
[ No, Jeff, you don't have to comment on how perfect that word choice is. He laughs a little, a short exhale. ]
--okay, nevermind.
[ He moves a hand to the back of John's head and presses a kiss to his lips-- easy, confident, with the kind of ease that comes from thirty years of experience. ]
[John's in the middle of laughing when Jeff kisses him, the sound muffled against Jeff's mouth.
He never sees this coming. His hand goes to the front of Jeff's flannel, fingers twisting into the fabric. Pulling him closer. Down on top of him.
John likes the rough of Jeff's shadow against his skin. It scratches an itch he didn't know he had. There's a hunger too, awakened when he tastes the beer on Jeff's tongue and swallows down his hot breath.
He likes men and women, but there's something about a guy his age who knows what he wants, and what he's doing, that gets him going like nothing else. Without the stress of being a better version of himself, like he tries to be for women, who deserve better than him.
Men, on the other hand, can take whatever the hell they get.
He bites at Jeff's lower lip, sucking it between his teeth. Hard enough to give him a little jolt. Revenge for catching him off-guard.]
[ How long has it been since Jeff's just hooked up with somebody, without bothering with the preamble of a couple of dates? God, he doesn't even want to think about it in terms of years, because it's probably been too many. But it's something he can do here, without having to stop and think about the ten thousand different complications it could bring to his life-- to Mel's life.
Here, it's simple and uncomplicated, just as it had been when he was young. John's handsome, and Jeff enjoys his company, and it looks like the feeling's mutual, so they're good to go. Nice. Easy. Uncomplicated.
Getting tugged down on top of John, the both of them on the mattress, Jeff's a little struck by how readily he can fall right back into old habits. And here he thought he'd gotten too rusty. But kissing John, covering the slighter man's body with his, he can do that without getting stuck in his own head.
Jeff makes a noise that's one-part surprised, one-part appreciative when John gives him a bite, and it's enough encouragement for him to return the favor, getting rougher with his teeth. With one leg on either side of John's hips, Jeff's caging that lean body in, fingers at John's neck and jaw. Nice and sweet as he is, he's always got a thing for just asserting himself physically. Or he used to, anyway, before his life took a turn for the suburbs. ]
[Jeff's full of surprises. John never thought he'd make the first move, and he didn't expect to be the one on his back either. Turns out Jeff does have some spice. John likes it. He's into the way Jeff feels so big and heavy on top of him. John could throw him off if he wanted to, but he doesn't.
Half the pleasure of being with a man is how obvious their intent is. John doesn't spend a lot of time second-guessing what they want from him. At the end of a day, he's a pleaser. Male. Female. Top. Bottom. John isn't picky. He goes with the flow. All he ever really wants out of sex is to feel wanted.
Even if it's only for as long as it takes for his partner to come.
But sometimes a man like Jeff comes along, tall, with broad shoulders and his own kind of swagger, and the desire hits John like a fist to a gut. It's always this type of man, the type that's nothing like John, that he wants to lose himself in.
He likes when they use him. He forgets himself, and all of his shit, in their needs. All of his failings and shame disappear. Looking into Jeff's eyes, a warm kind of hazel he's never really seen before, John gives something of himself up that he never does unless he's beneath another man of his own accord.
Control.
He tilts his head back, parting his lips to allow more of that tongue into his mouth. He raises a thigh to grind between Jeff's legs, feeling the friction of denim against denim. His hands slide down over Jeff's shoulders, down his lean sides, to ruck jam down the back of his jeans and grab at his ass. Pulling his hips down against him.
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[They're standing in the middle of John's bachelor post-move, the entirety of his crap stacked in boxes against the walls. For all John's gadgets and toys, it doesn't amount to a hell of a lot. He'd dumped most of Carson and Rodney's stuff off on Jeff.
He wasn't kidding about the downsize. It's a fraction of the size of the rental house, and doesn't have half the amenities. If John's paying for anything, it's location. He's got a good view from the balcony, and a short walk (or skateboard) to work.
John cracks open another beer and hands it over. Between the two of them, they've half polished off a box of pizza and a twelve pack. Such is the nature of moving. He takes a lazy seat on the edge of his mattress, conveniently located on the floor, and stretches his legs out in front of him.]
Thanks for helping with the move, by the way.
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It's got... potential! And you can't beat that view.
[ He shoots John a cheerful smile. ]
Hey, I owed you big time for the furniture. [ Teasingly: ] Now my debt to you is paid off.
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[John's on his third can, which isn't saying a whole lot. He's career military and a pilot. He knows how to drink.
Thinking about Atlantis is a fast way to a fourth, but he'll hold back in the presence of company. John likes Jeff enough to want to remember what they talked about in the morning.]
Oh really? I'll have to think of something new to keep you on the line. Don't wanna let the big one get away.
Next time shit goes down, remind me to save your life.
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Me too. I grew up in Santa Monica, so... [ He gets you on those beautiful oceanfront views. Sure, he never actually lived on the beach, didn't have a view from his parents' house, but he had easy access to it. ] God, I miss being able to hit the beach whenever I wanted.
[ Sure, there are beaches in Virginia, but IT'S NOT THE SAME.
Anyway, he looks at John, brow quirked. ]
'The big one'? [ He can't help it; he snickers. YEAH YEAH HE ASSUMES IT'S A FISHING TERM OR SOMETHING, but for a 40-something man, he can still be such a teenager about things sometimes. Jeff offers John his hand, to shake on what he's about to say. ] All right. You've got dibs to save my life next time.
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[John's turn to sigh.]
The surfing.
[He looks from Jeff's face down to his hand and back again. The guy is just too damn friendly. Like a big dog. John's not huge on casual touch, but... he takes Jeff's hand, gives it a lazy shake.]
Good to know I've got someone to help me move for the next decade.
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[ As it is, he'll have to wait for Mel to graduate from high school, at the very least. ]
At least. I'm very hard to get rid of. You're stuck with me now, Sheppard.
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[Now he really looks at Jeff.
They haven't known each other that long, but at their age? The pickings are pretty slim. People get more stuck in themselves as they get older. It's harder to click. John could talk to almost anyone in his twenties. Now? Anyone under thirty might as well be a kid.
They're as different as they are similar, but the connection is there.
And maybe a little something else.]
That's what they all say.
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Mine too. She's happier now.
[ He and Lisa get along as well as can be, with a broken marriage between them. Really, it was the best thing for both of them-- and Mel, too. Better the arrangement they have now than what likely would've become a tense and miserable household full of quiet resentment. ]
Okay. You're stuck with me as long as we're both on this moon. [ Because yeah, Jeff's going back to Mel as soon as it's feasible. But until then... ] C'mon, man, there's only like four other people in our age group here. This is a city of babies.
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[John snorts.
Probably helps to not be saddled down with a piece of shit, waste of space husband. John doesn't know Jeff's story, but he sure knows his own. Nancy lost 140lbs of dead weight when she divorced him.]
It's like they picked people based on their expiration date.
[He crunches his beer can in his hand, and tosses it into the singular wastebasket at the opposite side of the room. Slam dunk.]
You got anyone back home?
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[ Jeff's thoughts on his divorce only contain a FRACTION OF THE SELF-LOATHING John applies to his own. But he gives the other man a sideways look, watching him attentively. ]
It's just me and my daughter. God, I haven't even taken anyone past the third date in, ah... eight years? It's hard, with a kid.
[ Not as hard as he's making it out to be, though. There's definitely an element of Jeff refusing to open himself up to anything more with anyone since Lisa. ]
What about you?
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[John releases his last can of the night from the package and leans back on one elbow.
Fridays are different when you get older. After a long week of shooting, flying, and paperwork on top of moving, this is as close to a night out as he's interested in.]
I've got a team. Had a few of them here, with me, but they've all headed back. Got lucky with portal. It's for the best.
[He nods. Maybe if he tells himself hard enough, he'll start believing it.]
We've got a lot going on back home.
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That's her. Mel-- short for Melody, but she's pretty much always been Mel. [ He quirks his lips, a little smile teasing at the corners of his mouth. ] I used to be a musician, so... [ As if the name needs to be explained. He laughs a little. ] I know it's cliche.
[ There are more pics, BUT HE WON'T START GOING THROUGH HIS PHONE'S GALLERY UNLESS JOHN WANTS HIM TO. ]
Oh... [ He opens his mouth, almost asks why John's still here, instead of taking the portal back with them, but... maybe that's prying too much. ]
Sorry. Even if it's for the best, that doesn't... make it easy to say goodbye. [ Hell, Jeff knows a thing or two about that. ]
You like it here?
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[John can't help smiling at the way Jeff smiles at her. The picture of a proud dad. It always hurts a little, knowing that'll never be him. The best he can do is live vicariously through people.
Someone's got to make the big sacrifices. It's better he doesn't have anyone small relying on him.]
It's alright. Can't say the PG is a step up from the air force, but I get to fly fast things and shoot bad guys with good people, so I can't really complain.
All things considered? I'd rather be back home, but there are worse places to be.
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Yeah. All things considered. [ He rubs the back of his neck. ] It's not a bad place to be while waiting for a ticket home.
[ And he's not alone here. He's got Athena, which has been a lifesaver from the loneliness he'd been feeling. Though... not something he really wants to rub in to a guy who's just lost his own people. ]
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[He can imagine Jeff as a father. Doting. Funny. Kind. The opposite of his father, and the kind of father John would want to be, if he'd ever had his own.
Overall, Jeff is a nice person. Almost too nice. If they were anywhere but here, it's unlikely they'd have crossed paths. John's in the business of protecting nice people, which means he spends most of his time around assholes, being an asshole. Because that's who you've got to be to compete with them.
John never had to try too hard.]
You're a sweet guy. Anyone ever tell you that?
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Though she'd probably say I hover too much. Y'know. Teenagers.
[ He twists a little, to better face John, brows going up a bit. No, people have told him that before, but he hadn't expected it in the moment. ]
Yeah, well, I'll let you in on a secret. [ Leaning in, teasing, and a little flirty, because Jeff Calhoun's just... one of those guys who just seems effortlessly flirty. Like it's a part of him, not an affectation. ] I wasn't always so sweet.
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[John nods his head, thinking of his young protege Chyler Silva. The only human alive more stubborn than he is.
There's a shift in Jeff. A decidedly hot shift. He can't tell if it's on purpose, or just Jeff being Jeff. The man has a way about him. Their little excursion to the amusement park felt a hell of a lot more like a date than a hangout. Probably because when Jeff looks at you, he really looks at you.
For a little while, John forgot he was alone.
John shifts too. A smirk, and a quirk of his brow.]
Oh yeah? There's a little spice to go with everything nice? I'm gonna need some hard evidence.
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Sorry. It just occurred to me that we're sitting on a mattress, trading innuendo and talking about hard evidence and--
[ No, Jeff, you don't have to comment on how perfect that word choice is. He laughs a little, a short exhale. ]
--okay, nevermind.
[ He moves a hand to the back of John's head and presses a kiss to his lips-- easy, confident, with the kind of ease that comes from thirty years of experience. ]
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He never sees this coming. His hand goes to the front of Jeff's flannel, fingers twisting into the fabric. Pulling him closer. Down on top of him.
John likes the rough of Jeff's shadow against his skin. It scratches an itch he didn't know he had. There's a hunger too, awakened when he tastes the beer on Jeff's tongue and swallows down his hot breath.
He likes men and women, but there's something about a guy his age who knows what he wants, and what he's doing, that gets him going like nothing else. Without the stress of being a better version of himself, like he tries to be for women, who deserve better than him.
Men, on the other hand, can take whatever the hell they get.
He bites at Jeff's lower lip, sucking it between his teeth. Hard enough to give him a little jolt. Revenge for catching him off-guard.]
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Here, it's simple and uncomplicated, just as it had been when he was young. John's handsome, and Jeff enjoys his company, and it looks like the feeling's mutual, so they're good to go. Nice. Easy. Uncomplicated.
Getting tugged down on top of John, the both of them on the mattress, Jeff's a little struck by how readily he can fall right back into old habits. And here he thought he'd gotten too rusty. But kissing John, covering the slighter man's body with his, he can do that without getting stuck in his own head.
Jeff makes a noise that's one-part surprised, one-part appreciative when John gives him a bite, and it's enough encouragement for him to return the favor, getting rougher with his teeth. With one leg on either side of John's hips, Jeff's caging that lean body in, fingers at John's neck and jaw. Nice and sweet as he is, he's always got a thing for just asserting himself physically. Or he used to, anyway, before his life took a turn for the suburbs. ]
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Half the pleasure of being with a man is how obvious their intent is. John doesn't spend a lot of time second-guessing what they want from him. At the end of a day, he's a pleaser. Male. Female. Top. Bottom. John isn't picky. He goes with the flow. All he ever really wants out of sex is to feel wanted.
Even if it's only for as long as it takes for his partner to come.
But sometimes a man like Jeff comes along, tall, with broad shoulders and his own kind of swagger, and the desire hits John like a fist to a gut. It's always this type of man, the type that's nothing like John, that he wants to lose himself in.
He likes when they use him. He forgets himself, and all of his shit, in their needs. All of his failings and shame disappear. Looking into Jeff's eyes, a warm kind of hazel he's never really seen before, John gives something of himself up that he never does unless he's beneath another man of his own accord.
Control.
He tilts his head back, parting his lips to allow more of that tongue into his mouth. He raises a thigh to grind between Jeff's legs, feeling the friction of denim against denim. His hands slide down over Jeff's shoulders, down his lean sides, to ruck jam down the back of his jeans and grab at his ass. Pulling his hips down against him.
'Fuck me' in neon lights.]