Author's notes: This was inspired by a random prompt and/or challenge I spotted while lurking around the John/Teyla groups on Livejournal. I can't remember what it was exactly, but the general idea was it was supposed to contain a mention of a birthday or a similar Athosian tradition. Set in Season One, before Before I Sleep.
Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis or anything associated with it. I just like playing in MGM's sandbox from time to time.
Matter of a Moment
"What'd you think Elizabeth would like for her birthday?"
Teyla paused, caught off guard, and John lunged into action, aiming high. She recovered and blocked just in time, the sound of their staves' collision echoing in the small room. They exchanged an array of heated blows, matched in determination and force, before one of his attacks forced her to her knees and a lucky hit knocked her stave out of her hand.
"Hah!" He huffed, staring down at her with a self-satisfied smirk.
His smirk only lasted another second; Teyla swept his feet out from under him and he landed hard on his back, his staves flying in opposite directions. She climbed onto top of him and straddled his waist, pinning him to the floor. She pressed her stave to his throat and cocked an eyebrow.
"Do you concede?"
"Ow," he moaned, grimacing at her. "Do you have to hit so hard?"
"Do not get cocky, Major," she reprimanded lightly, digging her stave a bit deeper into his windpipe. "And do not attempt to distract me again. I do not like it when you 'play dirty.'"
"Oh, and like your little karate ninja foot move was fair. Can't you just let me win once? For the sake of my manly pride?"
Teyla rolled her eyes and pulled her stave away.
"When you earn it," she replied, getting to her feet. She extended a hand to him and helped him up. "Now, you saying…?"
"Yeah, about that...What'd you think Elizabeth would want for her birthday?" he said, wincing as he stretched. He moved toward their window seat, picking up his scattered staves as he went.
Teyla frowned and bent down to pick up her own, not wanting him to see her confusion.
"Her…birthday?"
She had heard many of the Earthlings speak of their custom of 'birthdays' in her months on Atlantis, but she had never seen one in practice. From what she had gathered, the celebration often involved cake, a traditional mocking song, and the giving of gifts. She had been meaning to ask someone about it before one of her team mate's came around and she made a fool of herself.
"Yeah. McKay let it slip that Elizabeth's is coming up soon." John said, casually sliding into his spot by the window. Teyla wondered how many hours of prodding John had done to make Rodney slip up in the first place. "I'd thought I'd get her something nice to make up for being such an ass lately."
"Chaya?" she suggested, thinking of John's latest transgression against the leader of the expedition. She slid next to him, pretending not to notice his blush.
"And that thing with the nanovirus, I guess."
He tried to sound nonchalant and failed miserably. She leaned against the wall and drew her legs up to her chest, observing him.
"Why ask me?" she said, truly curious. She hardly knew anything about Earth customs and even less about Earth women and their dislikes; she would be the least reliable person to turn to, especially if John wanted to impress Dr. Weir.
"'Cause there's no one else. You're the only one who won't laugh or make innuendos or shred my manly pride any more than you already have today." He replied, ticking off the reasons on his fingers. "Plus, you can keep a secret better than anyone. So…have any ideas?"
"What do your people normally receive on their birthdays?"
John frowned at her.
"Don't you celebrate birthdays on Athos?"
She shook her head.
"No. After the harvest season, we have a celebration of the passing of another year for all my people, much like your New Years, I believe. There are no individual 'birthdays' among my people. In fact, we often do not keep record of such events. It is enough that the mother and child are healthy and well."
"How do you know when you turn another year older?"
"I will be twenty-eight years in the first month of the new year," she answered promptly. "I only know this because my father often told stories of the terrible snowstorm that occurred during the week of my birth…otherwise, I would count by number of yearly celebrations I have participated in, like the rest of my people."
John frowned again and glanced away from her, out the window. She followed his gaze, wondering if her words had upset him or had made him realize that asking her for advice really was not worth the time. She hoped it had not – she liked when John asked for her opinions or her help. It made her feel useful when the rest of the expedition pushed her aside.
Teyla only wished John would speak his mind more often. Earth men found it so difficult to express themselves, her team leader especially so.
Outside the gym, the sun was setting, reflecting off the water and the tall spires of the city, washing everything in a pale, golden glow. Teyla loved the city of the Ancestors most just before sunset, when everything glistened and gleamed orange with the changing sky.
She glanced at John out of the corner of her eye – she always thought he looked the most handsome at this time of day, when the fading sunlight tanned his features. On this subject, she was the one who was timid in expressing her thoughts. Any belief that John may have had an interest in her had died with Chaya's appearance and his sudden need to impress Dr. Weir.
"You know," he drawled at last, glancing at her, "you could share my birthday, if you want one."
Teyla could only stare at him in suprise and John preceived it as a bad omen.
"I mean, by the sounds of it, we're both January babies and it's not like I use my birthday anyway. No one to celebrate with and besides, the last time I really celebrated, my superior officer found me passed out under a table in a Tijuana bar the next day and that put me off birthdays for a long time, so…uh…"
Teyla was not sure what a Tijuana was and did not remember where January fell on the Earth calendar, but she knew she would be a fool to pass up such a personal offer as sharing a birthday, especially when it came from someone so private as John Sheppard. In a matter of a moment, John had given her a part of himself.
"I would be honored, John."
His face displayed his disbelief at her acceptance. She leaned forward and touched her forehead to his, feeling the heat radiating from his skin and his warm breath on her cheek. She wondered if he noticed that she clung to him much longer than necessary, but when she pulled away, he gave no sign of displeasure.
"Thank you," she said softly.
John stared at her, a slow smile spreading across his lips, before he caught himself and placed his barriers up again. He cleared his throat and said, "All right. It's on the fifth of January, so don't you forget. I want a good present."
"Perhaps I will spare your manly pride on that day…?"
Teyla laughed as he scowled and threw his towel at her.
Later, when she had given him his advice and he had left her to patrol the city, she decided that neither his interest or hers was dead quite yet.
Thanks for reading and feedback is much appreciated.