Return of swficathon!
In the spirit of our favorite holiday, the great and glorious Sparktober, we bring you the return of the Sheppard/Weir Ficathon, with a 350 minimum word count requirement. We believe in fun and togetherness, not in hardcore max wordcounts.
You can review the rules and schedule at our Dreamwidth post: https://swficathon.dreamwidth.org/42709.html!
Once you've done that, please sign up on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/swficathon2023/signups/new
Your mods are @anretc and @havocthecat. Please ask them whatever questions you might have.
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Day Twenty-Five: Candles & Lanterns (John/Elizabeth-ish, for @sparktober)
The Iratus Bug had thrown him, a little - a lot; John found himself wandering the halls of Atlantis late that night after coming back from the dead, sometimes rubbing his neck and sometimes wondering where the hell he was going.
Looking for comfort, said the quiet voice in the back of his head, and he finds himself firmly in front of Elizabeth's quarters without even knowing why. She was a strong force but a calming one, his respect for her knowing no bounds, and that seemed to be exactly what he needed now.
The door swung open abruptly, Elizabeth standing there probably mirroring the vaguely shocked expression on John's face. She looked soft, her hair was curlier than usual - post shower, he guessed - her pyjamas serviceable yet comfortable. She looked beautiful, safe; he smiles at her a little, sheepishly.
"Major Sheppard, I was on my way to the mess to get some coffee - did you need something?"
And John falls into the room, into her arms in a completely unlike him way - taking her (and himself) by surprise, before she pulled him into the room. She shut the door behind him, wrapping her arms around him tight. "It's okay, Major - John. Here," she pulled them apart, and John felt himself shaking a little. "Let's go to the couch."
He'd never been in Elizabeth's quarters before, the lights off and the room speckled with candles and Japanese lanterns he knew were from her many travels. It created a warm, inviting atmosphere, one he felt encompassing him, and they sat together on the small couch, facing each other. He didn't know what to say, why he was even there, but she places her hand on his leg and gently breathes out.
"You gave us quite a shock with that bug, Major."
"Huh. Literally," and he instantly regrets the joke as she winces a little. They'd only been on Atlantis for a short time, but he already had grown close to the others and Elizabeth, his trust in them implict. "Sorry, too soon, I guess."
Elizabeth shrugged. "Humour is a coping mechanism I suppose," and she took a carafe of water and poured them both a glass before sitting back and taking him in with that patented Weir gaze. Like she was analysing, cataloging, assessing and evaluating in one fell swoop; to others it felt intrusive, but to John it was simply - Elizabeth.
"Gallows humour," his mouth quirked in a small smile, taking a sip of water. "I'm sorry for intruding like this, I just -"
"Didn't know where to go?"
John rimmed the edge of his glass with his finger. "Yeah. Yeah. I just…you're the boss lady and I almost died before we even got this mission off the ground and I felt like I failed the team."
A silence settled, the candles and lanterns shuddering on the walls in a hauntingly beautiful way. It was intimate, seeing how Elizabeth was behind closed doors, and gave him a better insight into who she was. A complicated yet simple person, intelligent who enjoyed the softer things in life, and it's exactly what John needs in this moment.
"You didn't let anyone down, John. It could have happened to anyone." She smiles a little. "Rodney was certainly worried."
John snirked. "He's checked on me about a hundred times with about seventy different reasons to do so."
"He cares."
"I barely know him."
"You barely know me, but you're here."
She leans forward, her face shadowed slightly by the low light, and kisses him on the cheek, leaning back and smiling in a yellow haze.
"What was that for?" John tries to mask his surprise and was glad for the candles because he's sure he's blushing.
"Just to remind you you're here," and she took another sip of water, looking towards the door. "You'll be fine, and you need your rest. I suggest going back to your quarters and sleeping. You need it."
John sighed, and nodded. "Thank you, Elizabeth." She waves him off, and he stands, walking to the door. "I appreciate it." The door senses his intent to leave and swishes open.
"You're welcome anytime, John. We need you, as much as maybe you need us."
It rings in his ears as he walks back to his quarters - because maybe he did need the Atlantis crew, and that was okay.
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