It was a miracle they could all fit into John's crappy car. Ronon rode up front, his knees tight to the dash. Rodney, Radek, and Teyla sat on the back seat with Elizabeth and Jenny stretched out in their laps. Despite the close quarters, they were all happy, laughing and playing as the wind whipped their hair around and assorted grunts and squeals came from the back.

"Nice neighborhood," Ronon said, and John flashed him a grin without even losing the rhythm he was nodding to along with the music. They'd exited the highway and cruised into an area well known for its big houses and flawless lawns. Ronon kept glancing at John as both the houses and the lawns got bigger and bigger.

They turned into the entrance of a gated community. When they reached the guardhouse, a uniformed teenager leaned out, his frown clearing when he realized that the shit-box car was being driven by John.

"Hey, man!" the guard said, reaching out to knock fists with John. "Where ya been?"

John tipped his shades. "On my own for the summer," he said. When the guard opened the gate, John gave him a lazy wave and gunned it. Rodney smacked him up the back of the head and muttered, "slut."

The house was...big. After his cramped apartment, John thought it looked huge. He pulled into the circular driveway and stopped the car. He looked back over his shoulder to see the others staring at him wide-eyed. Before John could say anything, a smokin' blonde came out, grinning and running down the steps. John had just made it out of the car before she threw herself into his arms. She squeezed him tight, raising both hands to ruffle his hair. "It grew out awesome!" she said, and then pulled away to look at the others, who were unfolding themselves from the car.

"Guys," John said, grinning. "This is Jeni, my dad's wife. She's the reason I got my bed for the apartment."

Rodney grabbed her and held her tightly. "I love you," he said fervently.

Inside, they met John's dad, who gave his son a quick hug before introducing himself to the others. "You can put your stuff in the basement," Mr. Sheppard said. "You're staying over, right?"

"I'll get it," Ronon said. He went out and came back with an assortment of duffle bags hanging off him.

"God, " John's dad said. "Are there more like you at home?"

Ronon gave him a feral grin. "Just five boys and three girls." Everyone turned to stare at him. "Where d'you want this stuff?" Ronon said, unconcerned.

The "basement" turned out to be more or less a two-bedroom palace of awesome. The bedrooms each had two double beds, there was a huge bathroom and an open area that could only be described as a playroom. On one side stood John's beloved air hockey table, flanked by a pinball machine and a pool table. Safely away from the pucks and balls was a huge sectional sofa that faced a built-in glass-fronted entertainment center that held stereo components, a flat-screen TV, shelves and shelves of CDs and DVDs, and - holiest of holies - Wii.

"You moved away from this?" Elizabeth asked. "What? Are you crazy?"

John ducked his head, then glanced at all of them, looking at Rodney last. "Worth it," he said quietly.

Everyone spread out, looking around. "This is the girls' room," Teyla called from one of the bedrooms. "It's pretty!" Elizabeth and Jenny darted toward the room.

Ronon threw John's and Rodney's bags onto the couch. "You two are out here," he said. "Me and Radek are in there. We don't want to hear you." John and Rodney both blushed, but they didn't protest.

John grabbed Rodney by the hand and pulled him to a set of French doors that led outside. "Damn," Rodney said, looking at the manicured lawn and sparkling pool. "You can stay in your apartment. I'm moving in here." John pinched the back of Rodney's arm.

"Bathing suits," Jenny yelled, and the door to the girls' room slammed shut. By the time the girls came out - super-hot in brightly colored bikinis - the boys were dressed in baggy swim trunks and practically bouncing with impatience.

"Let's go," Rodney whined, and John threw open the doors. Howling, all four boys sprinted to the pool, the girls following at a more sedate pace. By the time they arrived poolside, a game of chicken was already in progress, Radek arguing that he couldn't even reach John from his perch on Ronon's shoulders.

Before things got too rowdy, John's dad and Jeni tottered down the path, balancing huge trays. Ronon dropped Radek into the water and bounded out to help Jeni set her tray down on a wrought-iron table. By the time the others got out of the pool and grabbed towels, Ronon was on his third sandwich from the stacks on the tray. The kids dug in, and Mr. Sheppard and Jeni smiled indulgently.

"Don't fill up," John's dad said. "We're cooking out later."

All three girls turned to stare at him. "I don't think they can fill up," Teyla said. When Ronon growled at her, she simply snatched his can of Coke and drained it.

They stayed in the pool until they were pruny. Rodney whined them all into repeated applications of sunscreen, and Jeni kept a supply of sodas and snacks coming.

"I wonder what the poor people are doing today," Rodney mused, floating by on a water lounger.

"Swimming," Ronon said, then tipped Rodney over.

At dinner, Ronon ate seven hot dogs and an entire bag of chips.

The kids swam until way past dark while Mr. Sheppard and Jeni watched from deck chairs.

"Idiot," Rodney said to John as he finally pulled himself out of the water. "Your lips are blue." Rodney wrapped a towel around John's shoulders and held it closed in front of John's shivering body. John beamed at him, then made muffled protesting noises when Rodney started rubbing his hair into a bigger mess than usual with a second towel.

"Hey, John?" Mr. Sheppard called down the stairs. "Come up for a minute?"

John called out a hesitant "okay" before climbing the stairs.

"Hey, kiddo," Mr. Sheppard said, motioning John to the chair beside his own at the kitchen table. John sat, then glanced around.

"Jeni went to bed," John's dad said. John played with the fringe on the edge of a placemat. "You can come home, you know," Mr. Sheppard blurted out, and John looked up at him.

John could feel the lopsided grin stretching across his face. "It's okay," he said. "I kinda like it."

John's dad smiled back. "That's the impression I got." John ducked his head and played with the placemat some more. Mr. Sheppard took a drink of his coffee and sat the cup down. He spread his hands flat on the tabletop, then cleared his throat. "So," he said slowly. "Rodney, huh?"

John's eyes widened and he looked up. "Yeah," he said. "I mean yes. Rodney. How'd you know?"

John's dad huffed out a laugh. "Jesus, John - you smile at him. I haven't seen that smile since you were about eight. You used to smile it at your mom."

John thought about that. He made a decision, then met his dad's eyes, determined. "So it's okay with you that I'm...gay?" He stuttered over the word. He'd never said it - barely even thought it - in reference to himself.

"Yeah," Mr. Sheppard said, as if John was being an idiot.

John smiled at him - the mom-smile, the Rodney-smile. "Cool," he said.

Mr. Sheppard smiled ruefully at him. "I guess I can give up on you going into the Air Force, huh?"

John frowned. "That was your dream, Dad. Not mine."

John's dad's eyes were twinkling. "It's okay," he said. "Maybe your little brother or sister will be interested."

That took a few seconds for John to parse. "Brother or sis...Oh my god! You totally knocked Jeni up!" He jumped up and hugged his dad awkwardly.

"Yeah," Mr. Sheppard said smugly. "I did. You get to stop being an only child in about seven months."

"Awesome!" John said.

John wandered back downstairs, a little shell-shocked, to find Rodney waiting for him. The sectional had been pulled out to make a king-sized bed, and it was neatly made up with sheets, pillows, and a blanket. Rodney was sitting up on one side, nervously picking at the covers.

"Hey," John said, then jumped on him.

Rodney oof-ed, then pushed John back a little. "Hey?"

John smacked a kiss onto Rodney's cheek. "I...uh...I ..." John said, a little nervous. "I just came out to my dad."

Rodney's eyes widened. "For real?" he said; his voice was kinda loud.

"For real?" Jenny called from the girls' room, followed by Radek's, "You did?"

Before he knew it, John was buried under an avalanche of bodies, all his friends trying to hug him at once. Rodney yelled muffled complaints from the bottom of the pile. Once everyone was untangled and un-squished, John shared the news of his sibling-to-be. The girls all said some variation of "awww!", and Rodney started regaling them with horror stories about his sister's kid until the excitement and exhaustion of the day started to catch up with them. The others had to practically carry Ronon, half-asleep, to his room, leaving John and Rodney alone.

John stripped off his tee shirt and sweat pants and crawled under the covers as Rodney did the same. John turned off the lamp and Rodney eeled his way over and pulled John's back firmly against his chest.

"He was really okay with it?"" Rodney asked.

John turned over to face Rodney. "He was cool," John said. He moved his hand to Rodney's hip, then across his belly. He ruffled the thin line of hair that ran down under the waistband of Rodney's boxers.

"Are you serious?" Rodney squirmed against John. "Here?"

John kicked the covers down, then stuck his hand into Rodney's pants and circled his cock. Rodney hardened in his hand. "Wanna 69?" John asked. "That way there's no mess."

Rodney kissed him fast and sloppy, then started shoving John's boxers down. John returned the favor. They didn't waste much time getting into position. Rodney moaned when John sucked him in, and John sucked as hard as he could while shifting his hips around, trying to get his dick into Rodney's mouth.

They finally got it together and found an easy back-and-forth rhythm. John clutched at Rodney's hips while Rodney's fingers dug into the back of John's thighs, and they worked against each other, both snatching breaths as best they could without letting go for a second.

Rodney came first, his mouth tightening around John's cock in the same rhythm as his cock pulsed in John's mouth. After swallowing, John pulled off and buried his face against Rodney's thigh, still thrusting into Rodney's mouth.

John was right there, right on the edge, struggling to come. When Rodney rubbed one fingertip over his hole, John froze and came, moaning against Rodney's skin. After, they lay head-to-foot for a while, catching their breath. Finally, Rodney righted himself and crawled up the bed and into John's arms. John wrapped his arm around Rodney's shoulder and fell into sleep like a light going out.

John snapped awake when he heard a loud voice bellow his name down the stairs. He shook Rodney roughly. "Holy shit!" he hissed. "It's my grandfather, and we're naked!"

John slid on his boxers and opened the door a crack. "Jeeze, Grandpa, can't I even take a shower?"

"Brush your teeth and wake up that horde you brought with you. I'm making waffles!"

John shut the door and sprinted for the bathroom, snaring his duffle on the way. "Get up!" he yelled at the closed bedroom doors. "Waffles!"

Ronon ate two huge stacks of waffles, and the others ate so many that Grandpa George had to make more batter twice. John was flopped back on his chair, rubbing his full belly, when Jeni came downstairs. John jumped up and gathered her up into a huge hug, spinning her around. "You're gonna have a baby!" he said.

When he put her back on her feet, she looked a little green. "Yes," she said, "but first I'm gonna throw up."

John recoiled in horror as she ran for the bathroom. Everyone else in the room was staring at him, wide-eyed, except for Grandpa George, who was laughing so hard he turned purple. "Well, John," he said, wheezing. "I guess that's one less worry for you. There's not much chance of you knocking Rodney up." Both Rodney and Mr. Sheppard choked on their waffles.