Title: I Tell You, You Tell Me
Author:
somehowunbroken
Fandom: SGA/SG1
Characters: John/Cam
Word Count: 1,277
Rating: G
Notes: Forskieswideopen, who bought me in the 
help_nz auction and wanted John/Cam, meeting the family while one of them is in the hospital. I hope you like it! Thanks to race_the_ace, who read this through for me.
Cam’s beat, tired, absolutely exhausted, but he figures he’s come by that honestly. John is, after all, a stubborn bastard; getting him to admit he was sick in the first place had been monumental enough, but getting him to agree to let Cam drive him to the hospital had been another battle entirely. He’s glad he insisted, though, because John’s got an IV drip with three different drugs in it and he’s sleeping peacefully for the first time in nearly a week. Cam shakes his head as he shifts in his chair. Pneumonia for a week, insisting that a Tylenol would take care of it – yeah, that’s his John, all right.
There’s a noise from the doorway and Cam shifts again, eyes automatically looking for the doctor. He’s surprised when it is, instead, a man he’s never met standing in the door, awkward in a suit and tie, looking for all the world like he’s stopping by between meetings.
Cam’s never met him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know who it is.
“Dave Sheppard,” the man says, sticking his hand out as Cam rises and walks over. “I’m John’s brother. The hospital called, said he was in rough shape?”
“Cameron Mitchell,” Cam replies, shaking Dave’s hand firmly. “I’m a friend of John’s.”
Cam isn’t sure what John’s told Dave, how much he’s revealed, if Dave even knows that John is bisexual. It’s no secret in Cam’s family, but then again, he’d never worried that his family might disown him if he revealed that bit of information. He knows that John’s agonized over it, so he’s tried not to push. Apparently, he thinks wryly, it might have been a good idea to at least ask John what Dave knows.
Dave frowns at him. “You go by Cam?” At Cam’s surprised affirmative, he continues. “John mentioned he as staying with a friend named Cam. Good to meet you.”
Well, at least Dave knows he exists. Cam can work with that.
“He’s pretty sick,” Cam says quietly, turning to John. “Wouldn’t let me bring him in for a week. Told him he was sicker than he thought he was, but you know John.”
“Always has been stubborn,” Dave agrees, a hint of a smile on his face. “He never has known when giving in is the best thing for him to do.”
Cam laughs a little, surprised at how easily it slips out of him, given how tired he is. “Pretty much,” he agrees. They fall into a sort of awkward silence for a minute or so, until Cam realizes that Dave’s probably wondering why John’s friend is sticking around, isn’t letting his brother spend time in there alone. He clears his throat. “I’m, ah, gonna run down to the cafeteria for a little while. Can I bring you anything?”
“Please don’t,” Dave says dryly, and the little quirk of his lips is all John.
-0-
Cam dawdles over a cup of coffee and a muffin that could be blueberry, could be raisin, for as long as he can before making his way back up to John’s room. Dave is still there, looking thoughtfully at his brother as Cam walks in.
“Didn’t bring you anything, as requested,” Cam says, and Dave’s eyes shift to his. There’s something there, something questioning and slightly predatory, and Cam backtracks, wonders what he said, what he did, what that look could possibly be about.
“Funny thing,” Dave tells him. “John woke up a little while ago.”
“Did he?” Cam closes his eyes and feels a little of the tension drain from his body. The doctors had said he’d be fine with the medication, but knowing it and having a little proof are two entirely different things. “How’s he doing?”
“Well, he thought I was you,” Dave says blandly, and Cam freezes as the puzzle pieces settle firmly into place.
“Ah,” Cam replies evenly. “What did he say?”
Dave looks straight at him. “’Thanks for bringing my stupid ass in,’” he quotes. “And then he looked me in the eye, smiled, and told me he loves me.” He pauses. “Well. Loves you, I suppose.”
Cam nods slowly. “Is that gonna be a problem?” He’s not sure what he can do; the hospital had called Dave in as John’s next-of-kin, and for all that Cam’s sure John would rather he be there than Dave, he doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on if Dave wants to kick him out.
Dave tilts his head a little, like he’s considering. “I did wonder,” he says finally. “He’s always been more of a loner. Finding out he suddenly has a roommate, and one he calls by name and mentions in pretty much every conversation we have?” He laughs a little. “It’s almost a logical leap.”
Cam swallows. “Didn’t know if he’d told you,” Cam tells him. “That’s why I didn’t say anything before.”
“How long?” Dave asks, and Cam hesitates before saying anything.
“Three years, as serious as we can make it with our postings,” he finally answers. “A while before that, too, more of a casual thing.”
Dave nods his head, a quick bob, like he’s processing the information. “Three years,” he repeats quietly after a moment. He looks older, suddenly, a little more tired, a little sadder. “He didn’t say a thing in three years.”
Cam doesn’t have a response for that – he was worried about how you’d react is both obvious and hurtful right now, for all it’s the truth. He’s saved from having to come up with something when John shifts on the bed. “Cam?”
“Hey, sweetheart,” Cam says, grabbing John’s hand and leaning into his field of vision. “Feeling any better?”
“I feel like I got hit by a truck,” John tells him with a yawn, but it’s the first complete sentence he’s uttered in about three days, so it makes Cam smile anyway. John squeezes his hand. “How long have I been in here?”
“About a day,” Cam says. “Ah, John-”
“Don’t worry,” Dave cuts in, but it’s gentle, almost fond. “Just keep me in the loop, okay?” He claps Cam on the shoulder as he stands and makes his way to the door, where he pauses and looks back. “You could have told me,” he says to John. “I get why you didn’t. Dad would’ve-” There’s a wince, a barely-there pause, before he continues. “But you could’ve told me, John.”
John’s mouth is working, open shut open shut, with no sound coming out. Dave just smiles and shakes his head, and with a final “Call me if anything changes” directed at Cam, he’s gone.
“You told him?” John asks after a minute. He doesn’t sound angry – mostly, he sounds confused, with a good side helping of exhausted.
“No,” Cam answers. “You did. Sort of.” John looks at him questioningly, so Cam explains leaving and John briefly coming to, what he’d said. John groans and drops his head back against the pillow.
“I can’t believe I did that,” he sighs. “That’s really not how I pictured telling him.”
“He wasn’t angry,” Cam tells him again, rubbing John’s hand with his thumb. “Didn’t say anything that made me think he had a problem with it, John. Nothing like you were worried about.”
“Good,” John says with another yawn. “Good.”
“Go back to sleep,” Cam murmurs affectionately, kissing his fingers before pressing them to John’s lips. John rolls his eyes at the gesture, but he smiles against Cam’s fingertips as he settles back into the bed.
“Love you,” John mumbles right before he drops off to sleep, and Cam smiles and keeps John’s hand tucked into his own, because he’s never doubted that.
Author:
somehowunbroken Fandom: SGA/SG1
Characters: John/Cam
Word Count: 1,277
Rating: G
Notes: For
skieswideopen, who bought me in the help_nz auction and wanted John/Cam, meeting the family while one of them is in the hospital. I hope you like it! Thanks to race_the_ace, who read this through for me.Cam’s beat, tired, absolutely exhausted, but he figures he’s come by that honestly. John is, after all, a stubborn bastard; getting him to admit he was sick in the first place had been monumental enough, but getting him to agree to let Cam drive him to the hospital had been another battle entirely. He’s glad he insisted, though, because John’s got an IV drip with three different drugs in it and he’s sleeping peacefully for the first time in nearly a week. Cam shakes his head as he shifts in his chair. Pneumonia for a week, insisting that a Tylenol would take care of it – yeah, that’s his John, all right.
There’s a noise from the doorway and Cam shifts again, eyes automatically looking for the doctor. He’s surprised when it is, instead, a man he’s never met standing in the door, awkward in a suit and tie, looking for all the world like he’s stopping by between meetings.
Cam’s never met him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know who it is.
“Dave Sheppard,” the man says, sticking his hand out as Cam rises and walks over. “I’m John’s brother. The hospital called, said he was in rough shape?”
“Cameron Mitchell,” Cam replies, shaking Dave’s hand firmly. “I’m a friend of John’s.”
Cam isn’t sure what John’s told Dave, how much he’s revealed, if Dave even knows that John is bisexual. It’s no secret in Cam’s family, but then again, he’d never worried that his family might disown him if he revealed that bit of information. He knows that John’s agonized over it, so he’s tried not to push. Apparently, he thinks wryly, it might have been a good idea to at least ask John what Dave knows.
Dave frowns at him. “You go by Cam?” At Cam’s surprised affirmative, he continues. “John mentioned he as staying with a friend named Cam. Good to meet you.”
Well, at least Dave knows he exists. Cam can work with that.
“He’s pretty sick,” Cam says quietly, turning to John. “Wouldn’t let me bring him in for a week. Told him he was sicker than he thought he was, but you know John.”
“Always has been stubborn,” Dave agrees, a hint of a smile on his face. “He never has known when giving in is the best thing for him to do.”
Cam laughs a little, surprised at how easily it slips out of him, given how tired he is. “Pretty much,” he agrees. They fall into a sort of awkward silence for a minute or so, until Cam realizes that Dave’s probably wondering why John’s friend is sticking around, isn’t letting his brother spend time in there alone. He clears his throat. “I’m, ah, gonna run down to the cafeteria for a little while. Can I bring you anything?”
“Please don’t,” Dave says dryly, and the little quirk of his lips is all John.
-0-
Cam dawdles over a cup of coffee and a muffin that could be blueberry, could be raisin, for as long as he can before making his way back up to John’s room. Dave is still there, looking thoughtfully at his brother as Cam walks in.
“Didn’t bring you anything, as requested,” Cam says, and Dave’s eyes shift to his. There’s something there, something questioning and slightly predatory, and Cam backtracks, wonders what he said, what he did, what that look could possibly be about.
“Funny thing,” Dave tells him. “John woke up a little while ago.”
“Did he?” Cam closes his eyes and feels a little of the tension drain from his body. The doctors had said he’d be fine with the medication, but knowing it and having a little proof are two entirely different things. “How’s he doing?”
“Well, he thought I was you,” Dave says blandly, and Cam freezes as the puzzle pieces settle firmly into place.
“Ah,” Cam replies evenly. “What did he say?”
Dave looks straight at him. “’Thanks for bringing my stupid ass in,’” he quotes. “And then he looked me in the eye, smiled, and told me he loves me.” He pauses. “Well. Loves you, I suppose.”
Cam nods slowly. “Is that gonna be a problem?” He’s not sure what he can do; the hospital had called Dave in as John’s next-of-kin, and for all that Cam’s sure John would rather he be there than Dave, he doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on if Dave wants to kick him out.
Dave tilts his head a little, like he’s considering. “I did wonder,” he says finally. “He’s always been more of a loner. Finding out he suddenly has a roommate, and one he calls by name and mentions in pretty much every conversation we have?” He laughs a little. “It’s almost a logical leap.”
Cam swallows. “Didn’t know if he’d told you,” Cam tells him. “That’s why I didn’t say anything before.”
“How long?” Dave asks, and Cam hesitates before saying anything.
“Three years, as serious as we can make it with our postings,” he finally answers. “A while before that, too, more of a casual thing.”
Dave nods his head, a quick bob, like he’s processing the information. “Three years,” he repeats quietly after a moment. He looks older, suddenly, a little more tired, a little sadder. “He didn’t say a thing in three years.”
Cam doesn’t have a response for that – he was worried about how you’d react is both obvious and hurtful right now, for all it’s the truth. He’s saved from having to come up with something when John shifts on the bed. “Cam?”
“Hey, sweetheart,” Cam says, grabbing John’s hand and leaning into his field of vision. “Feeling any better?”
“I feel like I got hit by a truck,” John tells him with a yawn, but it’s the first complete sentence he’s uttered in about three days, so it makes Cam smile anyway. John squeezes his hand. “How long have I been in here?”
“About a day,” Cam says. “Ah, John-”
“Don’t worry,” Dave cuts in, but it’s gentle, almost fond. “Just keep me in the loop, okay?” He claps Cam on the shoulder as he stands and makes his way to the door, where he pauses and looks back. “You could have told me,” he says to John. “I get why you didn’t. Dad would’ve-” There’s a wince, a barely-there pause, before he continues. “But you could’ve told me, John.”
John’s mouth is working, open shut open shut, with no sound coming out. Dave just smiles and shakes his head, and with a final “Call me if anything changes” directed at Cam, he’s gone.
“You told him?” John asks after a minute. He doesn’t sound angry – mostly, he sounds confused, with a good side helping of exhausted.
“No,” Cam answers. “You did. Sort of.” John looks at him questioningly, so Cam explains leaving and John briefly coming to, what he’d said. John groans and drops his head back against the pillow.
“I can’t believe I did that,” he sighs. “That’s really not how I pictured telling him.”
“He wasn’t angry,” Cam tells him again, rubbing John’s hand with his thumb. “Didn’t say anything that made me think he had a problem with it, John. Nothing like you were worried about.”
“Good,” John says with another yawn. “Good.”
“Go back to sleep,” Cam murmurs affectionately, kissing his fingers before pressing them to John’s lips. John rolls his eyes at the gesture, but he smiles against Cam’s fingertips as he settles back into the bed.
“Love you,” John mumbles right before he drops off to sleep, and Cam smiles and keeps John’s hand tucked into his own, because he’s never doubted that.
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