SGA ficlet: Wrong
Jan. 10th, 2009 11:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unadriftThis is a tag for Identity, written for the Season 5 Tagathon on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
sga_episodefic.
583 words, rated PG. Ronon, Teyla. Gen, with mention of McKay/Keller and Ronon/Amelia.
Thank you to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
snarkydame for the quick beta!
"You have been quiet today," Teyla says. She casts a glance at Ronon, who is busy wiping the sweat off his face.
Their sparring session has been as demanding as ever, and Teyla feels pleasantly exhausted and relaxed at the same time. She can tell that Ronon is still restless, though, to the point where only sheer willpower is keeping him seated on the bench next to her. He seems unusually distant, too.
Ronon emerges from behind the towel and throws her a falsely careless look, pointedly silent. Ronon has always been a master at pointed silences.
"More so than usual," Teyla concedes with a small smile. "What is wrong?"
Ronon shrugs. "Nothing."
"You are worried about something. It is not as hard as you might think to recognize your distress for what it is."
"I'm not distressed." Ronon sounds appalled at the very idea.
"Mildly concerned, then?"
That earns Teyla another look, and a dark one this time. She does not inquire further. She just waits. After all, Teyla is the one who has mastered the art of expectant silences long ago.
"McKay," Ronon says after a while, but the name is drawn out reluctantly. It does not seem to occur to Ronon that he could just get up and leave if he really wanted to avoid this conversation.
Ronon does not elaborate further, and it takes Teyla a moment to make a connection. "You are jealous of him?" she says, surprised. She had known that Ronon had harbored hopes to form a relationship with Jennifer during her first few months in Atlantis, but--
"No," Ronon says quickly. "I'm seeing Amelia now. Thought you knew."
"I do know," she confirms. "But one does not exclude the other."
"That's not it." Ronon shakes his head. "Three days ago," he says and looks at her, trying to determine whether she is following.
"The mind switch," Teyla says.
Ronon nods, once. "I knew that Jennifer wasn't herself, right away. But McKay--" He raises his shoulders in a half-shrug.
"Rodney did not realize?"
"Not at first."
"I see." Even though Teyla herself had not been present when this took place, the fact that it had happened does not surprise her. Sadly, her previous impressions of Rodney and Jennifer do not contradict Ronon's observation.
"It's just wrong." Ronon lets himself fall back against the wall, breathing out his frustration in a short gust of air. "McKay should know her better than I do."
The statement is of such self-evidence that Teyla does not feel the need to validate it with an answer.
They sit in silence – a silence that is neither pointed nor expectant – until the pleasant sensation of physical exhaustion starts to fade and makes room for the painful reminder that Teyla is not a girl of eighteen years any more. She shifts uncomfortably on the bench.
"Call it a night?" Ronon suggests, bumping his shoulder into hers.
"Gladly," she answers. "I could very much use a shower and some sleep."
When Ronon offers his hand to pull her up, she meets his eyes. He seems-- still worried. So is Teyla, actually.
Side by side, they walk out of the gym hall and down the corridor. Before they part at a T-junction, Teyla slows her steps and stops. "They do seem happy with each other," she says.
"I hope it lasts." Ronon sounds doubtful, but Teyla can tell that he means it.
"You and me both," she agrees, and that is just as true.
- end -
Lifted (tag for 5x17) // The One Who Walks In (tag for 5x19)
sga_episodefic.583 words, rated PG. Ronon, Teyla. Gen, with mention of McKay/Keller and Ronon/Amelia.
Thank you to
snarkydame for the quick beta!"You have been quiet today," Teyla says. She casts a glance at Ronon, who is busy wiping the sweat off his face.
Their sparring session has been as demanding as ever, and Teyla feels pleasantly exhausted and relaxed at the same time. She can tell that Ronon is still restless, though, to the point where only sheer willpower is keeping him seated on the bench next to her. He seems unusually distant, too.
Ronon emerges from behind the towel and throws her a falsely careless look, pointedly silent. Ronon has always been a master at pointed silences.
"More so than usual," Teyla concedes with a small smile. "What is wrong?"
Ronon shrugs. "Nothing."
"You are worried about something. It is not as hard as you might think to recognize your distress for what it is."
"I'm not distressed." Ronon sounds appalled at the very idea.
"Mildly concerned, then?"
That earns Teyla another look, and a dark one this time. She does not inquire further. She just waits. After all, Teyla is the one who has mastered the art of expectant silences long ago.
"McKay," Ronon says after a while, but the name is drawn out reluctantly. It does not seem to occur to Ronon that he could just get up and leave if he really wanted to avoid this conversation.
Ronon does not elaborate further, and it takes Teyla a moment to make a connection. "You are jealous of him?" she says, surprised. She had known that Ronon had harbored hopes to form a relationship with Jennifer during her first few months in Atlantis, but--
"No," Ronon says quickly. "I'm seeing Amelia now. Thought you knew."
"I do know," she confirms. "But one does not exclude the other."
"That's not it." Ronon shakes his head. "Three days ago," he says and looks at her, trying to determine whether she is following.
"The mind switch," Teyla says.
Ronon nods, once. "I knew that Jennifer wasn't herself, right away. But McKay--" He raises his shoulders in a half-shrug.
"Rodney did not realize?"
"Not at first."
"I see." Even though Teyla herself had not been present when this took place, the fact that it had happened does not surprise her. Sadly, her previous impressions of Rodney and Jennifer do not contradict Ronon's observation.
"It's just wrong." Ronon lets himself fall back against the wall, breathing out his frustration in a short gust of air. "McKay should know her better than I do."
The statement is of such self-evidence that Teyla does not feel the need to validate it with an answer.
They sit in silence – a silence that is neither pointed nor expectant – until the pleasant sensation of physical exhaustion starts to fade and makes room for the painful reminder that Teyla is not a girl of eighteen years any more. She shifts uncomfortably on the bench.
"Call it a night?" Ronon suggests, bumping his shoulder into hers.
"Gladly," she answers. "I could very much use a shower and some sleep."
When Ronon offers his hand to pull her up, she meets his eyes. He seems-- still worried. So is Teyla, actually.
Side by side, they walk out of the gym hall and down the corridor. Before they part at a T-junction, Teyla slows her steps and stops. "They do seem happy with each other," she says.
"I hope it lasts." Ronon sounds doubtful, but Teyla can tell that he means it.
"You and me both," she agrees, and that is just as true.
- end -
Lifted (tag for 5x17) // The One Who Walks In (tag for 5x19)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-11 08:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 07:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 02:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 07:41 pm (UTC)Yes, exactly. Unfortunately, Rodney didn't know better. I wondered what Ronon's thoughts on this might have been, and this little ficlet was born.
Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 05:44 am (UTC)Then again, Jennifer couldn't recognize when an alien parasite was rapidly destroying Rodney's intelligence...
They're both so horribly oblivious they'll probably never notice they don't know each other and aren't happy.
Ronon and Teyla may see it, but they're smart enough to know it would be no use saying anything to Rodney. At least they aren't unhappy in this.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 08:01 pm (UTC)Okay, this was-- not what I intended? Huh. But since I wanted to stay close to canon: Go me?
Because I can see where you're coming from. This:
They're both so horribly oblivious they'll probably never notice they don't know each other and aren't happy.
So true. But it raises the question: Can you be unhappy without knowing all about it? Or is ignorance really bliss? If that's the case, and if neither Jennifer nor Rodney clue in at some point, they might live (un)happily ever after.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 10:45 pm (UTC)But it raises the question: Can you be unhappy without knowing all about it?
I think so. I think women have been living that way for ages. Look at all the forties and fifties housewives who got what they thought they were supposed to want and never realized why their lives were so unsatisfying when they had the 'perfect life'. Probably even thought they were happy - were happy. I suspect there are variations of happiness and contentment.