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TITLE: In The Game - Chapter Nine
SUMMARY: John confronts Gomez and Morticia Addams at a vampire party, and gets his ass handed to him on a platter by Ronon. It's just another day in the life of a high school guy.
CATEGORY: high school AU, drama
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: 4,269
NOTES: And the story is moving again! I'm up to Chapter Twelve, with probably at least another two or three to go. Since it's been so long since I posted the last segment (over a year now), I've linked to all the previous chapters so people can refresh their memory on the story. This story has been going a long time - coming up to two years this November.
In The Game
One | Two |Three | Four
Five | Six | Seven | Eight
Chapter Nine: Creepy And Kooky
John climbed out of the car into the evening breeze and decided that the weather was a lot cooler when he wasn't running around on a field, chasing a pigskin ball. Winter was definitely coming in.
On the other side of the car, Mara made a 'brr' sound as she pulled her jacket around her shoulders and came around to John's side of the car and the path up to the front door. "Do you think I look okay?" She tweaked a curl into place and looked appealingly up at John.
Since she was in a low-cut, fit-like-a-second-skin, 'Greek goddess' Halloween outfit, John thought she looked pretty damn hot. "You look gorgeous," he told her, adjusting his collar.
The vampire suit was from two years ago, but it still fit him and he thought looked pretty dashing in it. Besides, it was the only time his hair sat down flat on his head - mostly because he'd put half a tub of hair gel in it, and would need half a ton of water to get the gel out.
On the path up to the front door, small jack o'lanterns glimmered with candlelight, their tiny shapes shining the letters 'WELCOME' back at the arriving guests.
John gave Mike and Megan full marks for inventiveness.
The door opened and Megan appeared, dressed in what looked like one of her business suits and grinning through a set of fake fangs. "Hello, John." She looked at Mara. "Wait, don't tell me, I'll remember in a moment... Maria. No, wait! Mara, right?"
"Yes, Mrs. Weir."
"Oh, just call me Megan." She stepped back. "Come in before you freeze - I love your costume. Bought or made?"
"Oh, just bought."
Megan grinned, then coughed and popped out the fangs. "Excuse me. Not the most comfortable of accessories. Most of the guests are in the rumpus room. Just go in and help yourself to food."
"Right. So, uh, who else is here?" John asked, suddenly reminded of why he'd agreed to come to this at all - and why he'd coaxed Mara into coming with him. Okay, one other reason that he'd roped her into attending this party. He was interested and she was interested back. The fact that she would also make it quite clear that John wasn't dating Liz was a bonus.
"Elizabeth, Rodney, Carson and Laura, Kate, Ben...about a dozen others. You'll see them when you go in."
Just not Ronon. Megan wouldn't have left Ronon out of the litany.
The murmur of conversation could be heard coming from the lounge area, and John stepped into a room full of junior and senior classmates. He got hails from several quarters, including Liz. "Help yourself," she called. It didn't look like she was going to be moving out of Ben Maroney's orbit anytime soon.
Which was fine by John, especially if Ronon turned up. It was callous, but better Maroney than him.
Mara made a beeline for Laura and Kate Heightmeyer, and John surveyed the room as Rodney fronted up with a chicken bone in one hand and his mask in the other.
"I see you decided to turn up."
"Your powers of observation slay me," said John shortly before dropping his voice. "Any news on Ronon?"
"Hi, how are you, Rodney? It's good to see you. Say, thanks for letting me come around this afternoon and eat your food, watch your television and pick your brain, I really appreciated it. Where did you get that mask? From the hallowe'en warehouse out by Denny's on Indiana Ave? What a coincidence! I got my costume there. Of course, I got it there two years ago and am too lazy to actually get a new one for this year. Etcetera, so on, and so forth." He paused. "Sheppard, you fail at the school of small-talk."
"I also fail at the school of 'having friends who don't talk to themselves for two minutes straight upon meeting me'," said John sardonically. "It wasn't a difficult question."
Rodney rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder at the room. "No, I haven't heard any news. Elizabeth hasn't said a word and neither has anyone else, yet. So I'm guessing he's still mad at her, or she's still mad at him and don't we have better things to talk about - like Mara's cleavage and whether you've gotten to second base?"
"If I had, I wouldn't tell you," retorted John. "Get your own girlfriend."
"Ah, so she's girlfriend status, then?" Rodney brightened, eyeing Mara with some interest. "I have to live vicariously somehow."
"Two words for you: Katie Brown."
"Two words for you: Greg Hendricks."
"Oh. Well, too bad. I'm sure you'll find someone else. Like Miko."
"Please. Miko's a nice girl, but not really my type."
"Ever noticed how your type are never interested in you, Rodney?"
"Sure they are. They just...don't know it yet..." Rodney trailed off, his eyes going behind John's back. "Oh. Okay, then..."
John turned as a wave of silence spread out over the room.
Given his conversation with Teyla earlier, he wasn't at all shocked to see Teyla standing in the entrance to the living room, a pale pointed face watching the gathering from over her shoulder. Her expression was cool as a queen surveying her subjects as she met the stares directed her way. Beyond her, Kenmore looked almost triumphant.
She was dressed in a clinging black lace dress that swept the floor, and her hair was loose over her shoulders and spray-painted black - John could see the places where the spray job had been less than thorough. Kenmore's lazy look of amusement topped a pinstriped suit and button up collar, and his hair had also been painted black and slicked down.
He sauntered into the party like a gangster walking into a church.
"Teyla." Liz crossed the room in greeting. People could say what they liked about Liz, but she didn't confuse easily. It was probably one of the reasons that Ronon had thrown her for a loop - he just didn't act the way she was expecting. "Michael." Her voice was easy, although she was probably aware of the undercurrents in the room.
Catching Kenmore's eye, John just nodded briefly before deliberately turning his back on the Rait boy.
Rodney was staring. "What's he doing here?"
"Well, since he arrived with Teyla, I'm guessing he's her date for the night," John murmured. "Stop staring."
"I thought she had better taste than that."
"You also thought she might go to Homecoming with you."
"It was reasonable!"
John snorted. "Sure it was. At any rate, he's here and you're going to be polite to him."
Rodney made a face. "Please. I'm not the one with a macho image to maintain!"
"I'm going to be polite to him, too."
"Hah," Rodney scoffed. "Thank God Ronon isn't here. And Mara's coming this way. I'm going to get more food."
"Hey, Rodney," Mara cooed as she attached herself to John's arm, snuggling up against him so the curve of her breast nudged his arm.
As a warm wave of heat hit the back of John's neck, he wondered if this counted as getting to second base.
Rodney's eyebrows were somewhere up in the middle of his forehead. "Right. Well. Then. I'm going to get some food. Want any? John? Mara?"
"I'm fine," John said, hoping his voice didn't sound too strangled, especially when Mara shifted against his arm.
"Me, too," Mara murmured with a smile that was definitely flirtatious. "Thanks, Rodney."
Rodney rolled his eyes and stumped off.
"Are you flirting with him?" John demanded when Rodney was across the room and couldn't hear them.
She fluttered her lashes at him. "Are you jealous?"
He knew better than to give her any leverage like that. "Maybe." It was a prevarication and he knew it, but he didn't think she'd call him on it.
Mara smirked up at him. "I heard he has a thing for blondes."
"It'd help if you came up with your own science fair project that involved particle chambers or rail guns," John commented. "But, yeah. He's a sucker for blondes."
"Lucky for Teyla that the Rait boy isn't," said Mara with a pleasant, piercing look at John. "What's happening there, anyway?"
"What makes you think I know?" John knew better than to glance over to where Liz was still chatting with Teyla. Without looking, he knew that Kenmore wasn't participating in the conversation, just watching the room, probably with one hand on Teyla's waist.
"You're such good friends." Mara twirled a curl of hair around her finger. "I mean, you took her to Homecoming..."
John decided that enough was enough, and slipped an arm around her waist, heading over for a couple of chairs that Kate and Maroney had just vacated. "It was just friends," he said. "She didn't have a date after she broke up with Lorne and I didn't have one after Chaya..."
"That was mean of her," Mara flashed. "What she did. Dumping you." She nestled into his side, all warm curves and soft flesh. "Her loss."
John didn't know whether to agree or dismiss it. "Yeah, well, Teyla and I are just friends."
"Like you and Liz?"
"Like that. Or like me and Rodney," he said, pulling her down into the chair with him. "Okay?"
She looked like Rodney's cat Felix the time he'd gotten into John's tunafish sandwich - all satisfaction. "Okay."
As Laura bounced up in her Valkyrie outfit and started a conversation with Mara, and Carson hauled his horned helmet over for a chat, John figured that at least he was aware of where the pitfalls were in his relationship with Mara. If they decided to start dating, of course. Although, considering the soft, warm curves sitting on his lap, John couldn't think of a reason why not.
Still, that awareness made him a little wary when Teyla came alongside him as he was fetching himself and Mara some food.
"John."
"Teyla."
"So, am I off the team?" Her tone of voice was offhand, but John could tell she was already on the defensive.
He glanced sideways at her, refusing to rise to her bait. "I thought we already talked about this," he said.
Teyla shrugged as she helped herself to a handful of chips and a gingerbread cookie. "Sometimes there is a difference between what people say and what they mean."
"Yeah, well, not me." Aware of a buzzing anger in his chest, John figured it was best not to talk about this much more. "Who you date is your business," he said and hoped it was enough.
It seemed to be enough, because her smile was immediate and broad. "Thank you, John." And her hand covered his wrist and squeezed briefly before reaching to snag the last of Megan's potato cakes from right under John's hand.
"Hey!!"
"Ladies first, John."
He contemplated snatching it off her plate, but dismissed the idea as too juvenile, even for him. John settled for sticking out his tongue and taking the last two choc-chip cookies. "Seen Ronon?"
Teyla rolled her eyes. "Not in the last two hours, John." She took a bunch of celery sticks and nibbled at the end of one. "Perhaps you should ask Elizabeth since it is her party?"
Asking Liz was something John wanted to avoid doing if at all possible. He took a quick look about the room, winking at Mara when she looked up to see what was taking him so long.
"You and Mara are serious, then?" Teyla followed his gaze, and when he looked back, she was watching him with amusement, arching a brow.
John gave her a level look and kept his voice low as he snagged some chips. "About as serious as you and Kenmore." Which could mean anything or nothing. "What are you guys dressed as, anyway?"
"You've obviously never watched The Addams Family, Sheppard," Kenmore drawled, coming up behind Teyla and sliding a possessive arm around her waist. "Gomez and Morticia Addams."
As a matter of fact, John had seem the original Addams Family television series. "Creepy and kooky, huh?"
"And loving it," Kenmore said with a possessive smile for Teyla, who just smiled at him, more tolerant than enthused. Even as John watched, the other boy took her hand and kissed the wrist, murmuring something in another language, before moving to her elbow, her upper arm, her throat.
The kiss was brief, although that seemed to be more because Teyla broke away laughing, then caught sight of John's face.
He was pretty sure he'd managed to keep his expression neutral, but judging by the look in Teyla's eyes and the narrow stare Kenmore gave John before the other boy went away, he'd failed.
She leaned across the table and grabbed a handful of lollies. "You do not approve."
"I...it's not that." He glanced around, unable to shake the feeling that Kenmore was watching them. But it seemed that Kate was politely engaging him in discussion, and the Rait boy's back was turned. "I don't like him. It's a personal thing and has nothing to do with you."
"A personal thing?"
"I'm allowed to have people I dislike," John said pointedly. "You've never liked Bates."
Her eyes flashed. "Bates has never liked me," she said with more than a little heat. "As the other night showed."
Okay, so maybe bringing up Bates hadn't been the best of ideas. "Look, if you like Kenmore then, fine. Go for it. I wish you many fat babies."
Teyla arched both brows at him. "Many fat babies?"
"It's a..." John gave up. Obviously Liz's love of Nathan Fillion had never managed to impact on Teyla. "Never mind." He made a face at her. "That's all you're going to get from me about it."
"Good," she said at last. "Because that is all I am going to listen to you say about it."
And with that, she walked off to where Kate and Kenmore were talking. John ignored the challenging look Kenmore sent him, and concentrated on paying attention to Mara, who was more than happy to have his undivided interest.
Teyla could date who she wanted. John had nothing to say on that matter.
--
Ronon was back at school on Monday.
It took John all Monday to realise the other guy was avoiding him. They only had one common class - Ancient History - and Ronon arrived so late that he barely made it in ahead of Mr. Jackson and had to sit way up the front. Once class was over, Ronon was out the door like a shot.
At lunch, John sat with several of the football guys and kept an eye out, but saw no sign of Ronon. He waited by Ronon's locker after school until it was past time for football training, ended up arriving late and being stuck doing an extra dozen pushups and three laps of the field.
Tuesday was a game of cat-and-mouse, with John playing the part of the cat. Of course, he wasn't actually stalking Ronon - he didn't particularly want to have to chase the other guy all around school only to find themselves in a busy corridor where the grapevine would be all over them.
So he waited.
As he approached the gym about an hour after school had finished, John heard the noises of a fight in progress and thanked whatever deity had given him the inspiration to think of cornering Ronon during his weekly sparring with Teyla.
The Fight Club had assorted meetings during the week - two lunchtimes, and Wednesday afternoons. Teyla was an unofficial member since she usually couldn't make the Wednesday afternoon meets due to football training. However, since she'd been district champion in the girls' miniweight category last year, Mr. T was inclined to give her some leeway and had authorised her to use the gym after school with any opponent she wished - under his supervision of course.
And since Ronon was the only one who could give Teyla a serious run for her money when it came to fighting...
This fighting style involved short staves in each hand, using the staves to attack and block by turns, and Teyla was doing at least as much attacking as she was doing blocking. Ronon might be bigger and with a longer reach, but she was holding up with impressive skill.
John paused at the entrance to the gym, just in time to see Teyla duck under one of Ronon's lunges, spin her baton around in her hand and rap Ronon hard across the knuckles, causing him to yelp as he lost his grip on the length of wood.
"Very good, Teyla." The voice that rang out across the gym as Ronon reached to retrieve his stick was not Mr. T's.
John hid a grimace as Ms. Ishtar's gaze lifted to take him in, and one slender eyebrow rose over blue eyes. "Mr. Sheppard."
Both Teyla and Ronon turned, only just now noticing him. Teyla glanced from him to Ronon as she pulled out her ponytail and began remaking it; Ronon just scowled, shaking his dreadlocks forward as though to protect him against John's confrontation.
"Hey, Ms. Ishtar. I just... Uh..." How the hell was John going to explain this? His grand plan of cornering Ronon had extended as far as getting the other guy in the gym. It hadn't involved getting rid of supervising teachers, or considered just how he was going to explain something as personal as why he wanted to talk to Ronon without laying out his personal life.
Oh, to hell with it. "Actually, I wanted to talk with Ronon."
The slender Domestic Tech teacher lifted the other eyebrow to match the first. "Ah. I see. Do you need an audience for this kind of talking?"
John glanced at Teyla, figuring she would have a better idea of the situation than he. "Do we need the audience?"
She glanced at Ronon, who bared his teeth in a mock-snarl. "I do not think bystanders would be helpful," she concluded.
"Good decision," Ronon muttered.
"Although," Ms. Ishtar pointed out, "Mr. T is out the back, cataloguing the hockey gear. So keep it down, boys."
It was a concession with a warning. Ms. Ishtar didn't like it, but she wasn't going to talk them out of it, either. John wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.
Teyla was already reaching for her jacket, sliding the zip up with practised ease. "And try not to bruise him too much," she said to Ronon as she swung her satchel up on her shoulder.
"So encouraging," John snapped, earning him a twitch of the mouth before she left. Ms. Ishtar followed Teyla a moment later, and their voices drifted off into the chilly afternoon.
Then it was just him and Ronon.
He took a deep breath and indicated the staves Teyla had left behind. "Mind if I...?"
Ronon shrugged and waited until he'd retrieved the staves. "What do you want?"
John tilted the staves in his hands, testing out their weight and trying to get the feel for how Teyla and Ronon had been using them. "Well, for starters, I'd like to know what these are called."
They didn't look like standard school equipment, which was to say, used long and hard and not cared for. The handles had engravings around the grips and while the lengths used for contact showed signs of tough hits, they weren't battered down.
"Bantos rods," said Ronon. He spun one in his hand, like a bandleader twirling a baton. "Wanna give it a go?"
John mistrusted the grin. "Are you going to beat me up?"
"Maybe." Ronon reached out and batted one of John's sticks with his own. "I'll go easy on you."
John backed away, as Ronon advanced. "You just want the chance to beat me up." He reached the edge of the mats and turned, pushing Ronon's bantos stick away with his own.
"Teyla made mincemeat of you at the lunchtime club the other day." The other guy grinned. "It's my turn."
Oh, great. "Teyla makes mincemeat of everyone at the lunchtime club," said John, disliking the way things were turning out. "And I didn't know that you guys shared everything."
The bantos rod whipped out and nicked John on the arm. It stung. "We don't. Just got a lot of things in common."
"Yeah, well, that's how it works with me and Liz."
"You're usually around at her house."
"Hey, it's just study, okay?" And it was better than going home. His attempt at blocking Ronon was unsuccessful, and he nearly lost his grip on the rod. "We're friends."
"I heard otherwise."
"You heard wrong." John figured he was going to go down hard, he might as well say his piece. "Look, I don't know who told you so, but I'm not dating Liz. We're just friends. And even if I was interested in her - which I'm not - I wouldn't..." He yelped as Ronon got him on the wrist, then swept John's feet out from under him. Unlike Teyla, Ronon didn't help his fall and John's butt plumped down on the mat. "Ow."
The other guy towered over him. "Your defense is crap."
"Yeah, well, doesn't that say more about the teacher than the student?" He held up a hand, asking for help.
After a moment, Ronon grabbed his hand and hauled him up. John got halfway up before Ronon let him go again. This time, the mats weren't quite enough to protect his tailbone as it came down. The breath huffed out of John and he grunted, angry. "What was that for?"
Ronon shrugged. "I felt like it."
Once again the hand came down. This time, John ignored it and got himself up. His butt hurt, but the rest of him was mostly undamaged. Hopefully Ronon would leave it that way. "Are you done?"
"Dunno. You came here and started it."
To start with, John was sore. On top of that, he was irritated. "I came here to sort things out," he snapped.
The other guy eyed him. "Think they're sorted?"
John eyed him back. "Unless you're going to whale on me again."
Ronon shrugged one shoulder and dumped the bantos rods with a musical clatter. "Can't be bothered."
He wondered whether he should be insulted, then figured if he got out of it with all limbs and no major bruises, it was good. "So are you going to make up with Liz?"
The glance his way was half-scornful, half-suspicious. "What's it to you?"
"Liz got mad at me last Friday because she thought I was spreading the rumours."
"Were you?"
"No!" John fumed, then fumed some more when Ronon smirked.
"Touchy."
"You were the one avoiding me!"
The smirk faded and Ronon crouched down, absently dimpling the mats with his fingers as he rocked forward on his toes for balance and his dreadlocks swung down, loose, over his shoulders as he stared at the mat like it was one of the most interesting things on the planet. "She had a crush on you."
"Note the past tense."
He got a piercing look from dark eyes. "You're her type." As statements went, this one was pretty calm - more than John would have been when talking to the guy rumoured to be stealing his girlfriend.
"She's not my type," said John bluntly. There wasn't much else to be said about it. "We're friends. That's all."
Ronon glanced up. "That's all?"
John made a face down at the other guy. "I just said so, didn't I? Look, your relationship with Liz is your business. I just... I just wanted to let you know that whatever you hear, it's got nothing to do with me."
"You've done that."
"Yeah."
The silence stretched out, long and uncomfortable as they stared at each other. Ronon was watching John with what John could only think of as a measuring gaze.
"All right. Things are sorted."
"Just like that?"
Another shrug. Looked like Ronon was pretty fond of them. "Unless you want to tell me about Mara Tower and second base."
It looked like Ronon had been talking to Rodney in the last few days. Just not John. He figured he should take that as a hint and began walking away.
"Game on Friday?"
When he turned back, Ronon was watching him from the middle of the gym mats. The question hung in the air, not quite an olive branch, but close enough that John wasn't going to quibble. "Yeah. The usual time." He hesitated. "Coming?"
"Maybe. Depends."
John didn't bother asking what it depended on. Ronon wasn't much of a football supporter. He only turned up at the games because Liz did.
"All right. See you."
"See you."
He passed Teyla and Ms. Ishtar coming back - the two of them too involved in a slow-flowing, easy conversation to be bothered doing more than looking him over. Teyla quirked a brief smile at him as she headed back into the gym, and Ms. Ishtar had no compunction in surveying him from toe to crown with dark narrowed eyes to determine his state of health.
John felt...okay. A bit sore, maybe, but if his dignity was a little bruised, he figured he'd done what he could to clear things up between him and Ronon. It was the right thing to do, and John felt good about it.
The ball was in Ronon's territory.
--
SUMMARY: John confronts Gomez and Morticia Addams at a vampire party, and gets his ass handed to him on a platter by Ronon. It's just another day in the life of a high school guy.
CATEGORY: high school AU, drama
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: 4,269
NOTES: And the story is moving again! I'm up to Chapter Twelve, with probably at least another two or three to go. Since it's been so long since I posted the last segment (over a year now), I've linked to all the previous chapters so people can refresh their memory on the story. This story has been going a long time - coming up to two years this November.
One | Two |Three | Four
Five | Six | Seven | Eight
Chapter Nine: Creepy And Kooky
John climbed out of the car into the evening breeze and decided that the weather was a lot cooler when he wasn't running around on a field, chasing a pigskin ball. Winter was definitely coming in.
On the other side of the car, Mara made a 'brr' sound as she pulled her jacket around her shoulders and came around to John's side of the car and the path up to the front door. "Do you think I look okay?" She tweaked a curl into place and looked appealingly up at John.
Since she was in a low-cut, fit-like-a-second-skin, 'Greek goddess' Halloween outfit, John thought she looked pretty damn hot. "You look gorgeous," he told her, adjusting his collar.
The vampire suit was from two years ago, but it still fit him and he thought looked pretty dashing in it. Besides, it was the only time his hair sat down flat on his head - mostly because he'd put half a tub of hair gel in it, and would need half a ton of water to get the gel out.
On the path up to the front door, small jack o'lanterns glimmered with candlelight, their tiny shapes shining the letters 'WELCOME' back at the arriving guests.
John gave Mike and Megan full marks for inventiveness.
The door opened and Megan appeared, dressed in what looked like one of her business suits and grinning through a set of fake fangs. "Hello, John." She looked at Mara. "Wait, don't tell me, I'll remember in a moment... Maria. No, wait! Mara, right?"
"Yes, Mrs. Weir."
"Oh, just call me Megan." She stepped back. "Come in before you freeze - I love your costume. Bought or made?"
"Oh, just bought."
Megan grinned, then coughed and popped out the fangs. "Excuse me. Not the most comfortable of accessories. Most of the guests are in the rumpus room. Just go in and help yourself to food."
"Right. So, uh, who else is here?" John asked, suddenly reminded of why he'd agreed to come to this at all - and why he'd coaxed Mara into coming with him. Okay, one other reason that he'd roped her into attending this party. He was interested and she was interested back. The fact that she would also make it quite clear that John wasn't dating Liz was a bonus.
"Elizabeth, Rodney, Carson and Laura, Kate, Ben...about a dozen others. You'll see them when you go in."
Just not Ronon. Megan wouldn't have left Ronon out of the litany.
The murmur of conversation could be heard coming from the lounge area, and John stepped into a room full of junior and senior classmates. He got hails from several quarters, including Liz. "Help yourself," she called. It didn't look like she was going to be moving out of Ben Maroney's orbit anytime soon.
Which was fine by John, especially if Ronon turned up. It was callous, but better Maroney than him.
Mara made a beeline for Laura and Kate Heightmeyer, and John surveyed the room as Rodney fronted up with a chicken bone in one hand and his mask in the other.
"I see you decided to turn up."
"Your powers of observation slay me," said John shortly before dropping his voice. "Any news on Ronon?"
"Hi, how are you, Rodney? It's good to see you. Say, thanks for letting me come around this afternoon and eat your food, watch your television and pick your brain, I really appreciated it. Where did you get that mask? From the hallowe'en warehouse out by Denny's on Indiana Ave? What a coincidence! I got my costume there. Of course, I got it there two years ago and am too lazy to actually get a new one for this year. Etcetera, so on, and so forth." He paused. "Sheppard, you fail at the school of small-talk."
"I also fail at the school of 'having friends who don't talk to themselves for two minutes straight upon meeting me'," said John sardonically. "It wasn't a difficult question."
Rodney rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder at the room. "No, I haven't heard any news. Elizabeth hasn't said a word and neither has anyone else, yet. So I'm guessing he's still mad at her, or she's still mad at him and don't we have better things to talk about - like Mara's cleavage and whether you've gotten to second base?"
"If I had, I wouldn't tell you," retorted John. "Get your own girlfriend."
"Ah, so she's girlfriend status, then?" Rodney brightened, eyeing Mara with some interest. "I have to live vicariously somehow."
"Two words for you: Katie Brown."
"Two words for you: Greg Hendricks."
"Oh. Well, too bad. I'm sure you'll find someone else. Like Miko."
"Please. Miko's a nice girl, but not really my type."
"Ever noticed how your type are never interested in you, Rodney?"
"Sure they are. They just...don't know it yet..." Rodney trailed off, his eyes going behind John's back. "Oh. Okay, then..."
John turned as a wave of silence spread out over the room.
Given his conversation with Teyla earlier, he wasn't at all shocked to see Teyla standing in the entrance to the living room, a pale pointed face watching the gathering from over her shoulder. Her expression was cool as a queen surveying her subjects as she met the stares directed her way. Beyond her, Kenmore looked almost triumphant.
She was dressed in a clinging black lace dress that swept the floor, and her hair was loose over her shoulders and spray-painted black - John could see the places where the spray job had been less than thorough. Kenmore's lazy look of amusement topped a pinstriped suit and button up collar, and his hair had also been painted black and slicked down.
He sauntered into the party like a gangster walking into a church.
"Teyla." Liz crossed the room in greeting. People could say what they liked about Liz, but she didn't confuse easily. It was probably one of the reasons that Ronon had thrown her for a loop - he just didn't act the way she was expecting. "Michael." Her voice was easy, although she was probably aware of the undercurrents in the room.
Catching Kenmore's eye, John just nodded briefly before deliberately turning his back on the Rait boy.
Rodney was staring. "What's he doing here?"
"Well, since he arrived with Teyla, I'm guessing he's her date for the night," John murmured. "Stop staring."
"I thought she had better taste than that."
"You also thought she might go to Homecoming with you."
"It was reasonable!"
John snorted. "Sure it was. At any rate, he's here and you're going to be polite to him."
Rodney made a face. "Please. I'm not the one with a macho image to maintain!"
"I'm going to be polite to him, too."
"Hah," Rodney scoffed. "Thank God Ronon isn't here. And Mara's coming this way. I'm going to get more food."
"Hey, Rodney," Mara cooed as she attached herself to John's arm, snuggling up against him so the curve of her breast nudged his arm.
As a warm wave of heat hit the back of John's neck, he wondered if this counted as getting to second base.
Rodney's eyebrows were somewhere up in the middle of his forehead. "Right. Well. Then. I'm going to get some food. Want any? John? Mara?"
"I'm fine," John said, hoping his voice didn't sound too strangled, especially when Mara shifted against his arm.
"Me, too," Mara murmured with a smile that was definitely flirtatious. "Thanks, Rodney."
Rodney rolled his eyes and stumped off.
"Are you flirting with him?" John demanded when Rodney was across the room and couldn't hear them.
She fluttered her lashes at him. "Are you jealous?"
He knew better than to give her any leverage like that. "Maybe." It was a prevarication and he knew it, but he didn't think she'd call him on it.
Mara smirked up at him. "I heard he has a thing for blondes."
"It'd help if you came up with your own science fair project that involved particle chambers or rail guns," John commented. "But, yeah. He's a sucker for blondes."
"Lucky for Teyla that the Rait boy isn't," said Mara with a pleasant, piercing look at John. "What's happening there, anyway?"
"What makes you think I know?" John knew better than to glance over to where Liz was still chatting with Teyla. Without looking, he knew that Kenmore wasn't participating in the conversation, just watching the room, probably with one hand on Teyla's waist.
"You're such good friends." Mara twirled a curl of hair around her finger. "I mean, you took her to Homecoming..."
John decided that enough was enough, and slipped an arm around her waist, heading over for a couple of chairs that Kate and Maroney had just vacated. "It was just friends," he said. "She didn't have a date after she broke up with Lorne and I didn't have one after Chaya..."
"That was mean of her," Mara flashed. "What she did. Dumping you." She nestled into his side, all warm curves and soft flesh. "Her loss."
John didn't know whether to agree or dismiss it. "Yeah, well, Teyla and I are just friends."
"Like you and Liz?"
"Like that. Or like me and Rodney," he said, pulling her down into the chair with him. "Okay?"
She looked like Rodney's cat Felix the time he'd gotten into John's tunafish sandwich - all satisfaction. "Okay."
As Laura bounced up in her Valkyrie outfit and started a conversation with Mara, and Carson hauled his horned helmet over for a chat, John figured that at least he was aware of where the pitfalls were in his relationship with Mara. If they decided to start dating, of course. Although, considering the soft, warm curves sitting on his lap, John couldn't think of a reason why not.
Still, that awareness made him a little wary when Teyla came alongside him as he was fetching himself and Mara some food.
"John."
"Teyla."
"So, am I off the team?" Her tone of voice was offhand, but John could tell she was already on the defensive.
He glanced sideways at her, refusing to rise to her bait. "I thought we already talked about this," he said.
Teyla shrugged as she helped herself to a handful of chips and a gingerbread cookie. "Sometimes there is a difference between what people say and what they mean."
"Yeah, well, not me." Aware of a buzzing anger in his chest, John figured it was best not to talk about this much more. "Who you date is your business," he said and hoped it was enough.
It seemed to be enough, because her smile was immediate and broad. "Thank you, John." And her hand covered his wrist and squeezed briefly before reaching to snag the last of Megan's potato cakes from right under John's hand.
"Hey!!"
"Ladies first, John."
He contemplated snatching it off her plate, but dismissed the idea as too juvenile, even for him. John settled for sticking out his tongue and taking the last two choc-chip cookies. "Seen Ronon?"
Teyla rolled her eyes. "Not in the last two hours, John." She took a bunch of celery sticks and nibbled at the end of one. "Perhaps you should ask Elizabeth since it is her party?"
Asking Liz was something John wanted to avoid doing if at all possible. He took a quick look about the room, winking at Mara when she looked up to see what was taking him so long.
"You and Mara are serious, then?" Teyla followed his gaze, and when he looked back, she was watching him with amusement, arching a brow.
John gave her a level look and kept his voice low as he snagged some chips. "About as serious as you and Kenmore." Which could mean anything or nothing. "What are you guys dressed as, anyway?"
"You've obviously never watched The Addams Family, Sheppard," Kenmore drawled, coming up behind Teyla and sliding a possessive arm around her waist. "Gomez and Morticia Addams."
As a matter of fact, John had seem the original Addams Family television series. "Creepy and kooky, huh?"
"And loving it," Kenmore said with a possessive smile for Teyla, who just smiled at him, more tolerant than enthused. Even as John watched, the other boy took her hand and kissed the wrist, murmuring something in another language, before moving to her elbow, her upper arm, her throat.
The kiss was brief, although that seemed to be more because Teyla broke away laughing, then caught sight of John's face.
He was pretty sure he'd managed to keep his expression neutral, but judging by the look in Teyla's eyes and the narrow stare Kenmore gave John before the other boy went away, he'd failed.
She leaned across the table and grabbed a handful of lollies. "You do not approve."
"I...it's not that." He glanced around, unable to shake the feeling that Kenmore was watching them. But it seemed that Kate was politely engaging him in discussion, and the Rait boy's back was turned. "I don't like him. It's a personal thing and has nothing to do with you."
"A personal thing?"
"I'm allowed to have people I dislike," John said pointedly. "You've never liked Bates."
Her eyes flashed. "Bates has never liked me," she said with more than a little heat. "As the other night showed."
Okay, so maybe bringing up Bates hadn't been the best of ideas. "Look, if you like Kenmore then, fine. Go for it. I wish you many fat babies."
Teyla arched both brows at him. "Many fat babies?"
"It's a..." John gave up. Obviously Liz's love of Nathan Fillion had never managed to impact on Teyla. "Never mind." He made a face at her. "That's all you're going to get from me about it."
"Good," she said at last. "Because that is all I am going to listen to you say about it."
And with that, she walked off to where Kate and Kenmore were talking. John ignored the challenging look Kenmore sent him, and concentrated on paying attention to Mara, who was more than happy to have his undivided interest.
Teyla could date who she wanted. John had nothing to say on that matter.
--
Ronon was back at school on Monday.
It took John all Monday to realise the other guy was avoiding him. They only had one common class - Ancient History - and Ronon arrived so late that he barely made it in ahead of Mr. Jackson and had to sit way up the front. Once class was over, Ronon was out the door like a shot.
At lunch, John sat with several of the football guys and kept an eye out, but saw no sign of Ronon. He waited by Ronon's locker after school until it was past time for football training, ended up arriving late and being stuck doing an extra dozen pushups and three laps of the field.
Tuesday was a game of cat-and-mouse, with John playing the part of the cat. Of course, he wasn't actually stalking Ronon - he didn't particularly want to have to chase the other guy all around school only to find themselves in a busy corridor where the grapevine would be all over them.
So he waited.
As he approached the gym about an hour after school had finished, John heard the noises of a fight in progress and thanked whatever deity had given him the inspiration to think of cornering Ronon during his weekly sparring with Teyla.
The Fight Club had assorted meetings during the week - two lunchtimes, and Wednesday afternoons. Teyla was an unofficial member since she usually couldn't make the Wednesday afternoon meets due to football training. However, since she'd been district champion in the girls' miniweight category last year, Mr. T was inclined to give her some leeway and had authorised her to use the gym after school with any opponent she wished - under his supervision of course.
And since Ronon was the only one who could give Teyla a serious run for her money when it came to fighting...
This fighting style involved short staves in each hand, using the staves to attack and block by turns, and Teyla was doing at least as much attacking as she was doing blocking. Ronon might be bigger and with a longer reach, but she was holding up with impressive skill.
John paused at the entrance to the gym, just in time to see Teyla duck under one of Ronon's lunges, spin her baton around in her hand and rap Ronon hard across the knuckles, causing him to yelp as he lost his grip on the length of wood.
"Very good, Teyla." The voice that rang out across the gym as Ronon reached to retrieve his stick was not Mr. T's.
John hid a grimace as Ms. Ishtar's gaze lifted to take him in, and one slender eyebrow rose over blue eyes. "Mr. Sheppard."
Both Teyla and Ronon turned, only just now noticing him. Teyla glanced from him to Ronon as she pulled out her ponytail and began remaking it; Ronon just scowled, shaking his dreadlocks forward as though to protect him against John's confrontation.
"Hey, Ms. Ishtar. I just... Uh..." How the hell was John going to explain this? His grand plan of cornering Ronon had extended as far as getting the other guy in the gym. It hadn't involved getting rid of supervising teachers, or considered just how he was going to explain something as personal as why he wanted to talk to Ronon without laying out his personal life.
Oh, to hell with it. "Actually, I wanted to talk with Ronon."
The slender Domestic Tech teacher lifted the other eyebrow to match the first. "Ah. I see. Do you need an audience for this kind of talking?"
John glanced at Teyla, figuring she would have a better idea of the situation than he. "Do we need the audience?"
She glanced at Ronon, who bared his teeth in a mock-snarl. "I do not think bystanders would be helpful," she concluded.
"Good decision," Ronon muttered.
"Although," Ms. Ishtar pointed out, "Mr. T is out the back, cataloguing the hockey gear. So keep it down, boys."
It was a concession with a warning. Ms. Ishtar didn't like it, but she wasn't going to talk them out of it, either. John wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.
Teyla was already reaching for her jacket, sliding the zip up with practised ease. "And try not to bruise him too much," she said to Ronon as she swung her satchel up on her shoulder.
"So encouraging," John snapped, earning him a twitch of the mouth before she left. Ms. Ishtar followed Teyla a moment later, and their voices drifted off into the chilly afternoon.
Then it was just him and Ronon.
He took a deep breath and indicated the staves Teyla had left behind. "Mind if I...?"
Ronon shrugged and waited until he'd retrieved the staves. "What do you want?"
John tilted the staves in his hands, testing out their weight and trying to get the feel for how Teyla and Ronon had been using them. "Well, for starters, I'd like to know what these are called."
They didn't look like standard school equipment, which was to say, used long and hard and not cared for. The handles had engravings around the grips and while the lengths used for contact showed signs of tough hits, they weren't battered down.
"Bantos rods," said Ronon. He spun one in his hand, like a bandleader twirling a baton. "Wanna give it a go?"
John mistrusted the grin. "Are you going to beat me up?"
"Maybe." Ronon reached out and batted one of John's sticks with his own. "I'll go easy on you."
John backed away, as Ronon advanced. "You just want the chance to beat me up." He reached the edge of the mats and turned, pushing Ronon's bantos stick away with his own.
"Teyla made mincemeat of you at the lunchtime club the other day." The other guy grinned. "It's my turn."
Oh, great. "Teyla makes mincemeat of everyone at the lunchtime club," said John, disliking the way things were turning out. "And I didn't know that you guys shared everything."
The bantos rod whipped out and nicked John on the arm. It stung. "We don't. Just got a lot of things in common."
"Yeah, well, that's how it works with me and Liz."
"You're usually around at her house."
"Hey, it's just study, okay?" And it was better than going home. His attempt at blocking Ronon was unsuccessful, and he nearly lost his grip on the rod. "We're friends."
"I heard otherwise."
"You heard wrong." John figured he was going to go down hard, he might as well say his piece. "Look, I don't know who told you so, but I'm not dating Liz. We're just friends. And even if I was interested in her - which I'm not - I wouldn't..." He yelped as Ronon got him on the wrist, then swept John's feet out from under him. Unlike Teyla, Ronon didn't help his fall and John's butt plumped down on the mat. "Ow."
The other guy towered over him. "Your defense is crap."
"Yeah, well, doesn't that say more about the teacher than the student?" He held up a hand, asking for help.
After a moment, Ronon grabbed his hand and hauled him up. John got halfway up before Ronon let him go again. This time, the mats weren't quite enough to protect his tailbone as it came down. The breath huffed out of John and he grunted, angry. "What was that for?"
Ronon shrugged. "I felt like it."
Once again the hand came down. This time, John ignored it and got himself up. His butt hurt, but the rest of him was mostly undamaged. Hopefully Ronon would leave it that way. "Are you done?"
"Dunno. You came here and started it."
To start with, John was sore. On top of that, he was irritated. "I came here to sort things out," he snapped.
The other guy eyed him. "Think they're sorted?"
John eyed him back. "Unless you're going to whale on me again."
Ronon shrugged one shoulder and dumped the bantos rods with a musical clatter. "Can't be bothered."
He wondered whether he should be insulted, then figured if he got out of it with all limbs and no major bruises, it was good. "So are you going to make up with Liz?"
The glance his way was half-scornful, half-suspicious. "What's it to you?"
"Liz got mad at me last Friday because she thought I was spreading the rumours."
"Were you?"
"No!" John fumed, then fumed some more when Ronon smirked.
"Touchy."
"You were the one avoiding me!"
The smirk faded and Ronon crouched down, absently dimpling the mats with his fingers as he rocked forward on his toes for balance and his dreadlocks swung down, loose, over his shoulders as he stared at the mat like it was one of the most interesting things on the planet. "She had a crush on you."
"Note the past tense."
He got a piercing look from dark eyes. "You're her type." As statements went, this one was pretty calm - more than John would have been when talking to the guy rumoured to be stealing his girlfriend.
"She's not my type," said John bluntly. There wasn't much else to be said about it. "We're friends. That's all."
Ronon glanced up. "That's all?"
John made a face down at the other guy. "I just said so, didn't I? Look, your relationship with Liz is your business. I just... I just wanted to let you know that whatever you hear, it's got nothing to do with me."
"You've done that."
"Yeah."
The silence stretched out, long and uncomfortable as they stared at each other. Ronon was watching John with what John could only think of as a measuring gaze.
"All right. Things are sorted."
"Just like that?"
Another shrug. Looked like Ronon was pretty fond of them. "Unless you want to tell me about Mara Tower and second base."
It looked like Ronon had been talking to Rodney in the last few days. Just not John. He figured he should take that as a hint and began walking away.
"Game on Friday?"
When he turned back, Ronon was watching him from the middle of the gym mats. The question hung in the air, not quite an olive branch, but close enough that John wasn't going to quibble. "Yeah. The usual time." He hesitated. "Coming?"
"Maybe. Depends."
John didn't bother asking what it depended on. Ronon wasn't much of a football supporter. He only turned up at the games because Liz did.
"All right. See you."
"See you."
He passed Teyla and Ms. Ishtar coming back - the two of them too involved in a slow-flowing, easy conversation to be bothered doing more than looking him over. Teyla quirked a brief smile at him as she headed back into the gym, and Ms. Ishtar had no compunction in surveying him from toe to crown with dark narrowed eyes to determine his state of health.
John felt...okay. A bit sore, maybe, but if his dignity was a little bruised, he figured he'd done what he could to clear things up between him and Ronon. It was the right thing to do, and John felt good about it.
The ball was in Ronon's territory.
--
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