Seduction

John sat at in one of the comfortable chairs in the commons area of the Spartan quarters. The set of cushioned furniture had been given to them by the UNSC. The set of three chairs and one couch were set up to make a semi-circle around the main monitor in the room that they often watched vids on. John was reading over the specs of the Mark VII armor which he was going to be trying out soon. He didn't want to be surprised by any of its features if he could help it. He was trying to keep his eyes on the words but he just couldn't stop himself from looking up. He couldn't stop his gaze from turning to the couple on the couch. It was a harder task than he had expected. He thought of going back to his room but the idea of leaving the commons area just because it hurt to watch them seemed like somehow losing a fight. He didn't like losing anything.

John frowned as Kelly laughed, wrapping her arms around Fred's neck. He couldn't help but feel that should be him on that couch with her. He should have been the one pulling Kelly closer and whispering in her ear. She relaxed against Fred and after a moment let go. Moving a bit away from him before standing. She leaned down and kissed him quickly before she left the room. Fred left a few minutes later, leaving John alone.

He finally started to read the data before him when he heard on someone sit down on the couch. He looked over to find Linda lounging on the soft cushions. She was watching him in a way that made him a bit nervous. He felt like a deer who was staring down the mountain lion that was about to kill him. He didn't like it.

Linda stood and John watched as she walked toward him. No, walk wasn't the right word. There was a sway to her hips that reminded him of Kelly walking away from him, teasing. Linda's steps were more like stalking though, there was something a bit more dangerous in the way she walked. She stopped beside his chair and sat down on the arm. It seemed like an odd thing to do as she'd had a proper seat on the couch and the arm wasn't all that comfortable.

John moved to stand, willing to relinquish his seat to her but she stopped him. "I think you and I should talk." She smiled down at him and there was nothing innocent in the way she looked at him.

"Talk about what?" John asked.

"Well it seems that you find yourself once more in a position of pining for what can't be yours. We were only kids the last time you resigned yourself to ogling Kelly from a distance." Linda smirked a bit as she stared down at him. "I could be of assistance to you this time as well."

John frowned at the proposition. "First, this isn't like last time. There wasn't another man last time. Second, exactly what are you offering? I don't need a distraction."

"No, I'm not offering a distraction. I'm offering a mutually beneficial agreement that sees that both your needs and my needs are met." Linda suddenly shifted and joined him in the chair, sitting on his lap.

John fought his instinct to push her away, a dislike of anything pinning him down rising up. He frowned as he realized Kelly had never triggered that same instinct. Linda leaned in and her lips trailed over John's neck. His hands moved to her shoulders and held Linda a bit away from him. "Stop," he commanded.

Linda frowned at him, unhappy with his choice. "You're going to turn me down? You'd rather wish for a woman you can't have rather than the one trying to get you into bed?" Linda raised an eyebrow.

John released her but crossed his arms over his chest to keep some distance between them no matter what. "What happened last time was a mistake. You and I weren't in love and we aren't now. I'm not looking for my physical needs to be met. I want my emotional needs met."

Linda laughed and shook her head. "I'm sorry but 'emotional needs of a Spartan' seems like an oxymoron." John frowned at her. She simply sighed and became more serious. "So I'm not cutting it for you on an emotional level, I get that, but you've had a taste for the physical. Don't tell me you think you can ignore that need forever."

John shook his head. "The physical can be dealt with in other ways." John was really wishing she would get off of him. He felt uncomfortable having this conversation while she was sitting on him.

"Sounds like someone learned the art of self-servicing, though do you really think your hand can compare to the feel of a real woman's body?" Linda leaned back on the arm of the chair, pushing her chest forward. "You and I both know what you really need."

John scowled at her words. "Enough." He pushed her just a little bit and she sprang up, still standing before him but scowling now. "How do you know what I need when you don't even know what you need? When was the last time, if ever, that you had a meaningful relationship? What we had wasn't anything other than physical, and I'm sure whatever was between you and Fred was only physical as well."

"Maybe all I need is something physical," Linda shot back.

"Well I'm not like that Linda. I need the emotional fulfillment that I got with Kelly, not the physical." John relaxed a bit, realizing that Linda was more on the defensive now. "Happiness doesn't have to mean physical gratification. Have you ever even just looked for someone that you have a personal connection with?"

Something he said struck a nerve and Linda turned from frustrated to angry. "Like you know me so very well." Linda left and John felt a bit guilty. He had been honest but he hadn't wanted to make her angry. He never wanted to hurt any of the other Spartans.

John reached down to the floor where his datapad had fallen. He didn't remember when he'd dropped it but it was undamaged. He looked down at the data but he no longer felt like reading so he tossed the datapad onto the nearby table, surprised to see that Kelly had returned.

"What did you do to make Linda so mad?" Kelly leaned against the side of the chair. "I've never seen her so mad at you."

John considered what to tell her. He decided to omit Linda's proposition. Instead he chose to be as honest as possible. "I'm not sure what I did. Something I said upset her."

"Well what did you say to her?" Kelly sat down on the arm of the chair, settling in. "What were you two talking about?"

"I told her that I've never known her to have a relationship that's been anything other than physical and that maybe she should be looking for an emotional connection. Like what you and I have." Kelly didn't correct him so he continued. "A relationship built more on making each other happy not just the physical needs."

Kelly was silent for a moment before she sighed and slid down from the chair's arm onto his lap. "She'll get over it; you just have to give her time." Kelly leaned against him. It struck John as odd. It wasn't an intimate sort of contact. She curled up a bit against him and John's arms wrapped around her to try to comfort her.

Something had upset her and he wanted nothing more to shield her from whatever it was. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Kelly mumbled. "I just want my best friend to comfort me."

John let her rest her head on his shoulder. "We'll I'm here for you, Kelly. I'll always be here."

Kelly laughed lightly and sat up a bit so she could look him in the eye. "You're a good friend John. Even when I'm all upset over another man you're just as willing to console me."

"Fred upset you?" John hadn't seen that coming. "I can beat him up if you want me to."

"First, I don't know if you could. Fred is still a good hand-to-hand fighter. Second, what he said was true. I just... I don't know. It just made me so... I don't have the right words. I'll get over it or...I'll get over it. I can't fight fact." Kelly rested her head once more on his shoulder. "For now I just need a good friend to comfort me."

John hugged her a bit tighter for a second to assure her that he was there for her. "Good thing you've got me."

Kelly laughed lightly and John couldn't help but smile. He had a laughing, happy Kelly in his arms. So maybe she wasn't keeping him warm at night, or was telling him she loved him, but he could accept that. When Halsey had taken her away the most he hoped for was a chance to finally tell her how he felt. So maybe he couldn't tell her he loved her as well, that didn't matter. He still had moments like this.