fic: Not Quite Jabberwocky, PG-13

[tielan]

TITLE: Not Quite Jabberwocky
SUMMARY: They left it dead and with its head, they went galumphing back.
CATEGORY: Vignette, John/Teyla friendship
CHALLENGES: stagesoflove, Five Stages Of Physical Intimacy: Nudging/Patting/Brushing; fanfic100, prompt #77 - What?
NOTES: I should write Ronon into Jabberwocky sometime.

"One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

Does Ronon 'galumph'? One wonders.

Not Quite Jabberwocky

They were halfway up the hill before Ronon spoke. "Are you and Teyla lovers?"

John put a foot wrong and slid back nearly two yards before he found his feet again. "What?"

"Are you and Teyla lovers?"

He narrowed his eyes as the other guy drew alongside him. "That's not any of your business." Then, because the question was so unexpected, John asked, "Why?"

Ronon paused, his hands resting on his hips as he surveyed the loose stones of the hill they were climbing, as though deciding where their route should next take them. "You touch her a lot."

"I do not."

The look he received could have held one emotion or many, including amusement, disbelief, and skepticism, but was too brief for John to register anything clearly. Ronon kept climbing, heading off to the right and the bigger stones that jutted, cream-white-gold against the pale orange dust. After a moment, John followed, his body moving, his mind thinking back to his last interactions with Teyla.

He'd wrapped her fingers around the cup of cocoa she'd been about to take from him. But that was because Dr. Knowles had sat down and begun firing questions at her, and John just wanted to make sure Teyla had the mug firmly in hand before he let go. Her hands had been cool compared to the hot mug, but warm against his.

There'd been the moment when they filed out of the briefing room and just missed crashing into one of the researchers in a hurry on her way to Elizabeth's office. Teyla's back had been to the running woman and John had flattened his hand against her stomach to press her back against the wall. He'd felt the quickness of her breathing beneath his palm for just a moment.

Then, earlier, he'd clapped her on the shoulder, when it looked like the Tanastienne senator was letting his lust get the better of him, and mentioned just how good a hand-to-hand fighter Teyla really was. It didn't stop the guy from drooling, but it gave him something to think about.

And, just before they'd left, he'd squeezed her shoulder as he and Ronon left to 'slay the Jabberwock' as Rodney put it. "We'll handle it. You handle Rodney and the leader."

That wasn't a lot. Really.

He put Ronon's words and Ronon's smirk in the back of his mind. They had a Tanastie to slay - whatever that was.

It wasn't quite a Jabberwock. John didn't have a vorpal sword. There was neither snickering, nor snacking. But they did leave it dead and took its head, even if they didn't exactly 'galumph' back to the Tanastienne settlement.

And afterwards, when the senator was trying to hide his annoyance, and Rodney was trying to hide his disgruntlement at the women flirting with John and Ronon, and Ronon was soaking up the adulation with a smirk, Teyla touched John, her fingers resting lightly on his forearm and sending a shiver down his spine. "It was well-done."

"I know." John would have liked to close his fingers around hers, to cover her hand with his own. Then he caught Ronon's smirk from across the room and refrained. "Thanks."

Teyla nodded once, dropped her hand from his arm, and turned away.

- fin -

Comments

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think Ronan could galump...if drunk...and limping, but running anyway. :)

Very nice. I like the idea and how it came together in John's head.

[snoggingpicard.livejournal.com]

Lovely and simple -- I can definitely imagine Ronon pointing this out to Sheppard at some point. A casual, if pointed, observation.

[r-becca.livejournal.com]

brief, but very nice. I like that John doesn't even realize he's doing it until it's pointed out to him. :)

[madjm.livejournal.com]

I love the return of Not Graceful John, like in the pilot episode. Heh. Of course it would be Ronon who would point out the obvious to him. And thank you for having someone hitting on Teyla as well as just John and Ronon. :)

[live-brave.livejournal.com]

I always love your fics - simple yet beautiful and always well-done. You keep writing and I'll keep reading! :D Thanks for sharing this.

[jeyla4ever.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is wonderful! I love how you have John go back and think of the recent events that made Ronon ask the question..and the touch! wonderful! now you have me thinking if he does touch Teyla a lot in the actual series..I know they are always very close to each other....almost always touching each other...but I don't know about the actual touching part in the sense....but I love how you have Ronon figure this out! I can see this question arise sometime soon in the series....it will be classic!

I've missed your J/T writing Tielan! Thanks....

[writerrising.livejournal.com]

This was great. I can see each of the characters acting this way. Ronon's smirk is planted firmly in my mind's eye. I can also see John thinking about odd thinks like Jabberwocky in his head.

[maxbo.livejournal.com]

Yep, I could so see Ronon bringing this up. He's a straightforward, pull-no-punches kind of guy. And, I could also see John not realizing how tactile he is with Teyla - great moment of enlightenment. The last scene where John had to refrain from touching Teyla, much to Ronon's amusement, was priceless.

Also, thank you, thank you, thank you, for writing someone (the Tanastienne senator ) lusting after Teyla for a change. It's unnatural how SGA doesn't seem to realize that she's a beautiful woman who would receive this type of attention during their travels. TPTB behave as if the only attractive person on the SGA away team is John. Yes, he's good-looking, but so is the rest of the team.

[cherryblosomjen.livejournal.com]

I love Ronon. The first few lines made my day. :D

[nath-42.livejournal.com]

I like your little story ! Ronon putting the finger on it ! cute !