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2nd in my Feb cliche!fic month, this time, "Five Things" fic.
Title: Five Ways They Tell Someone
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kellifer_fic
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Yadda.
Category: Sheppard/McKay
Rodney thought it strange that of all the people in Atlantis, it would be Radek Zelenka that would just know when something was up and also exactly what it was.
Evidenced by the fact that after making the first pot of coffee of the morning, Zelenka had held the very first, steaming cup out to Rodney without a word.
“He’s not going to die, if that’s what you’re thinking!” Rodney said, his voice sounding high and quavering a little and Radek merely canted his head, still holding the cup out in front of him. Rodney huffed irritably and took it.
“It’s okay to be worried,” Radek allowed and slid onto the stool opposite Rodney. “You are close with him.”
“We’re not… he’s not… I mean, I’m not-“
“Rodney, it’s fine,” Radek said gently.
John had gone out with Lorne’s team and Teyla, following a tip about a ZPM and had been set upon coming back from a fruitless search by a rag tag group of surviving Genii.
Rodney had watched John carried through the event horizon by Lorne and another of his men and then his eyes had fallen on Teyla who was the last through. She’d been covered in blood from waist to knee which was obviously not hers and Rodney had thought how can anyone lose that much and live?
He’d left the infirmary when he couldn’t stand the silence any longer, not having realised how dependant he had gotten on John’s bad jokes and tired cultural references. John was lying on a bed, looking too pale with deep purple bruising under his eyes and Rodney hadn’t been able to stand it.
He’d retreated to the known pocket of Universe that were his labs and had found that the only other occupant was Zelenka.
“It’s just; I sometimes think he has a death-wish or something. He has some kind of weird Pavlovian response to suicide missions and he’s always doing the dumb thing. He takes stupid risks and has a stupid smirky mouth and… and… stupid hair!”
“I had not realised you cared so deeply,” Radek said kindly and Rodney seemed to deflate.
“Too much for someone like him. I need someone safer.”
Zelenka chuckled. “He is exactly who you need.” Zelenka patted Rodney on the knee, stealing the coffee back because he knew that Rodney didn’t need someone being kind right now, he needed to be treated the same as every other day. “Plus, man must have patience of saint to put up with you.”
“Hey!” Rodney cried indignantly, making an unsuccessful grab for the coffee, but he was looking less pale and shell-shocked and Zelenka knew that was a good thing.
“Back to infirmary. You’re useless to me here,” Zelenka said, waving a dismissive hand.
Rodney looked outraged and grateful at the same time.
xxxxxx
He looked up and standing in the doorway was Ronon, his hand raised to knock, forgetting once more that the doors of Atlantis usually just opened automatically
John was lying on top of Rodney, one hand tangled in his hair who was in turn lying beneath with his legs firmly wrapped around John’s narrow hips. Everything stopped and they both blinked at Ronon in surprise.
After what seemed an eternity, Ronon ducked his head and grinned. “Oh it’s about time,” he sighed. “Teyla owes me a pudding.”
xxxxxxx
He saw the way Lorne was sitting outside the infirmary, slumped over with head held in his hands and John thought, oh.
He dropped into the chair next to Lorne, who immediately sat up and scrubbed a forearm over his eyes and then blinked wearily at Sheppard, full of a very fake bravado.
“Bloody scientists,” he sighed. “If I’ve told him once, I’ve told him a thousand times…” Lorne didn’t bother finishing the thought and John was glad of it.
“There were landmines,” John said. “I’m surprised he was the only one that was hurt.”
John thought of P3M-484 with a little shiver. The ground surrounding the Stargate had been seeded with landmines, her population’s way of saying ‘no trespassing’. They just happened to be unlucky enough that the MALP that had trundled its way through to take environmental readings had managed to miss every single one.
“He ran ahead,” Lorne said and there was the vibration of anger under his voice that was only barely masking his worry. “He was so damn excited and I had just finished yelling at him to get back behind us when…” Lorne broke off and took a steadying breath and John slouched further in his chair.
“It could have been worse. They were some kind of proximity mine instead of pressure and Carson says he’ll be fine. He was just winged.”
“You didn’t see…he just flew… Jesus, when he hit the ground he wasn’t moving.”
“And you ran right over to him,” John said carefully. “Over a field full of mines.”
Lorne looked at him for a beat and then a kind of resignation flooded his features and also something akin to relief. His expression said, well finally.
“Do I at least get an honourable discharge?” he asked, but didn’t sound hopeful.
John sighed. “I’m moving Parrish off your team. I’m just letting you know as a courtesy. You’ll be getting Cortez instead.”
Lorne blinked and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Wait, what?”
“Major, I have a scientist too.”
Lorne was still blinking at him, looking a little stunned. “Sir?”
“We’re in another Galaxy and both you and Doctor Parrish are extremely valuable members of this expedition. I, of course, expect there to never be another incident like this again.”
Lorne smiled, a different kind of relief on his face. “No, Sir!”
“Now, I know you’re sitting out here when you want to be sitting in there and I happen to know that the infirmary will be empty for the next ten minutes.”
Lorne stood. “Thankyou, Sir.” he said, his voice a little awed.
John stood also and took a moment to watch as Lorne entered the infirmary and lowered himself onto the chair by Parrish’s bed. He saw Lorne drop his head onto the covers next to Parrish’s hip and then Parrish’s hand raise, fingers tangling in Lorne’s hair.
John sat back down outside the infirmary, stretching his legs out in front and making sure they had their ten minutes.
xxxxxx
“You’re kidding!”
Rodney turned to John and raised an eyebrow. “See I told you she would be like this,” he said sourly and John couldn’t help but chuckle. He turned in his seat back to Jeannie McKay, a woman so unlike to Rodney in feature that John would have never guessed they were related.
Then she would start speaking, her words quick and sharp and gestures sharper and John had thought there it is and didn’t know how he’d ever doubted these two hadn’t sprung from the same line.
“I’m sorry, but what the hell do you see in my brother?” Jeannie demanded, her brow arched in suspicion. “He’s got no money, he’s funny looking and he’s allergic to everything!”
Rodney was appalled but John smiled, seeing through the insults to the very real concern beneath. You’d better have all kinds of honourable intentions buddy, was what she was actually saying.
“You are the crappest sister ever!” Rodney exclaimed. “You’re supposed to extol my virtues, not scare him away and I am not allergic to everything. Just citrus, bee stings and only a very few types of grass.”
“For chrissakes Rodney, I don’t see you for three years and you turn up in my office towing your cute boyfriend, telling me you’ve been working in another galaxy and you’re having a wedding there and would like me to come?”
John glanced at Rodney with a smirk. “She thinks I’m cute,” he said smugly, knowing he was just throwing fuel on the fire but boy, did he love to watch Rodney burn.
Rodney obliged, throwing up his hands in abject frustration. “I couldn’t tell you anything before because it was classified and you’ve only just gotten security clearance to be able to attend this thing. John thought it would be nice to have family attend and you’re it, for both of us.”
“Oh, well that’s charming. How can I say no now? And what do you mean I’ve got clearance? Rodney McKay, did you get me investigated by the military?”
John watched the two McKays before him going at it for a while, purely enjoying the experience. Both people in front of him were giants in their field, respected and feared by their peers and when Jeannie managed to get Rodney into a headlock so she could repeatedly slap him on the forehead for scaring her half to death with the video he had sent just before the Wraith had attacked the city, he was awed.
This is love, he thought.
When they had finally wound down, running out of insults to fling at each other and resorting to such stellar ripostes as ‘stupid head’ and ‘fertilizer face’, John reached out a small metaphorical stick and nudged the embers because the glow of the fire before him was warming him to the core.
“Besides,” he said and Rodney looked at him, eyes narrowed. “We’re not actually getting married per se. It’s called an Athosian joining ceremony.”
He watched as Rodney looked horrified and Jeannie delighted.
“A joining ceremony!” Jeannie exclaimed, laughing maniacally.
xxxxxxx
“So you saw the email?” Elizabeth asked, looking stern.
“Yep.”
“You didn’t tell me about this before, why?”
“I didn’t want to put you in that position. You’re the leader of this expedition and duty-bound to report this kind of thing.”
“Like you did?”
John looked baffled. “Why would I-“
“I don’t mean you,” she said carefully and John jerked his head, a short violent denial.
“I’m not going to implicate anyone else,” he snapped.
“I didn’t think you would. They told me because they trusted me to protect them. I wish you had because when this kind of thing is a shock, it’s harder for me to protect you.”
“You going to protect us then?” John asked wryly, certain there was no way back from the career suicide he’d committed by letting one of the new Airmen they’d been assigned see him and Rodney in a brief clinch outside Rodney’s room.
He’d just been waiting for the other shoe to drop and three days later it had, in an impersonal email from Elizabeth with a not-so-impersonal additional email attached outlining the Airman’s very real regret but very pressing need to let the leader of the Atlantis expedition know that her Senior Military Officer and her Chief Science Officer were involved in a tawdry affair.
“Well, it’s lucky I don’t need to,” she said mildly and John blinked.
“What?”
“Yes, it seems Carson has admitted to having missed an anomaly in your body chemistry when you came back through from P4M-998. He stated that the kind of symptoms we would expect would be uncharacteristic sexual and aggressive responses unrestricted to your usual sex of preference. Apparently four other men under your command have come forward to admit that you propositioned them under the influence of this, thereby proving that you’re not actually having a relationship with Doctor McKay. All the paperwork is officially signed and stamped and has been sent along with the email and General Landry has already responded, advising that we keep you restricted to quarters until we’re sure this is… out of your system.”
John slumped in his chair. “Elizabeth, I can’t let-“
“Now, John. All of these reports have been signed and sent already. If you had a different version of events then it would go very badly for everyone. Do you have a different version?” she asked seriously, looking pained.
“I… no. No, I don’t.”
Elizabeth sat back in her chair, a hand reaching out and fingers trailing across the surface of the Athosian pottery John had gotten her as a birthday gift what seemed like an age ago. “Good, because we need you here, John. I trust this has served as a wakeup call and you’ll be more careful when… offworld?”
“Yes, Ma'am.” John said, cowed and amazed.
“Good. Now, I think after you’ve been restricted to your quarters for a further two days just to be sure, you’ll be wanting to thank Doctor Beckett, Major Lorne, Captain Harlan, Gardner and Freads for being so candid.”
“Yes, Ma'am.” John grinned.
Title: Five Ways They Tell Someone
Author:
kellifer_ficRating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Yadda.
Category: Sheppard/McKay
Rodney thought it strange that of all the people in Atlantis, it would be Radek Zelenka that would just know when something was up and also exactly what it was.
Evidenced by the fact that after making the first pot of coffee of the morning, Zelenka had held the very first, steaming cup out to Rodney without a word.
“He’s not going to die, if that’s what you’re thinking!” Rodney said, his voice sounding high and quavering a little and Radek merely canted his head, still holding the cup out in front of him. Rodney huffed irritably and took it.
“It’s okay to be worried,” Radek allowed and slid onto the stool opposite Rodney. “You are close with him.”
“We’re not… he’s not… I mean, I’m not-“
“Rodney, it’s fine,” Radek said gently.
John had gone out with Lorne’s team and Teyla, following a tip about a ZPM and had been set upon coming back from a fruitless search by a rag tag group of surviving Genii.
Rodney had watched John carried through the event horizon by Lorne and another of his men and then his eyes had fallen on Teyla who was the last through. She’d been covered in blood from waist to knee which was obviously not hers and Rodney had thought how can anyone lose that much and live?
He’d left the infirmary when he couldn’t stand the silence any longer, not having realised how dependant he had gotten on John’s bad jokes and tired cultural references. John was lying on a bed, looking too pale with deep purple bruising under his eyes and Rodney hadn’t been able to stand it.
He’d retreated to the known pocket of Universe that were his labs and had found that the only other occupant was Zelenka.
“It’s just; I sometimes think he has a death-wish or something. He has some kind of weird Pavlovian response to suicide missions and he’s always doing the dumb thing. He takes stupid risks and has a stupid smirky mouth and… and… stupid hair!”
“I had not realised you cared so deeply,” Radek said kindly and Rodney seemed to deflate.
“Too much for someone like him. I need someone safer.”
Zelenka chuckled. “He is exactly who you need.” Zelenka patted Rodney on the knee, stealing the coffee back because he knew that Rodney didn’t need someone being kind right now, he needed to be treated the same as every other day. “Plus, man must have patience of saint to put up with you.”
“Hey!” Rodney cried indignantly, making an unsuccessful grab for the coffee, but he was looking less pale and shell-shocked and Zelenka knew that was a good thing.
“Back to infirmary. You’re useless to me here,” Zelenka said, waving a dismissive hand.
Rodney looked outraged and grateful at the same time.
xxxxxx
He looked up and standing in the doorway was Ronon, his hand raised to knock, forgetting once more that the doors of Atlantis usually just opened automatically
John was lying on top of Rodney, one hand tangled in his hair who was in turn lying beneath with his legs firmly wrapped around John’s narrow hips. Everything stopped and they both blinked at Ronon in surprise.
After what seemed an eternity, Ronon ducked his head and grinned. “Oh it’s about time,” he sighed. “Teyla owes me a pudding.”
xxxxxxx
He saw the way Lorne was sitting outside the infirmary, slumped over with head held in his hands and John thought, oh.
He dropped into the chair next to Lorne, who immediately sat up and scrubbed a forearm over his eyes and then blinked wearily at Sheppard, full of a very fake bravado.
“Bloody scientists,” he sighed. “If I’ve told him once, I’ve told him a thousand times…” Lorne didn’t bother finishing the thought and John was glad of it.
“There were landmines,” John said. “I’m surprised he was the only one that was hurt.”
John thought of P3M-484 with a little shiver. The ground surrounding the Stargate had been seeded with landmines, her population’s way of saying ‘no trespassing’. They just happened to be unlucky enough that the MALP that had trundled its way through to take environmental readings had managed to miss every single one.
“He ran ahead,” Lorne said and there was the vibration of anger under his voice that was only barely masking his worry. “He was so damn excited and I had just finished yelling at him to get back behind us when…” Lorne broke off and took a steadying breath and John slouched further in his chair.
“It could have been worse. They were some kind of proximity mine instead of pressure and Carson says he’ll be fine. He was just winged.”
“You didn’t see…he just flew… Jesus, when he hit the ground he wasn’t moving.”
“And you ran right over to him,” John said carefully. “Over a field full of mines.”
Lorne looked at him for a beat and then a kind of resignation flooded his features and also something akin to relief. His expression said, well finally.
“Do I at least get an honourable discharge?” he asked, but didn’t sound hopeful.
John sighed. “I’m moving Parrish off your team. I’m just letting you know as a courtesy. You’ll be getting Cortez instead.”
Lorne blinked and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Wait, what?”
“Major, I have a scientist too.”
Lorne was still blinking at him, looking a little stunned. “Sir?”
“We’re in another Galaxy and both you and Doctor Parrish are extremely valuable members of this expedition. I, of course, expect there to never be another incident like this again.”
Lorne smiled, a different kind of relief on his face. “No, Sir!”
“Now, I know you’re sitting out here when you want to be sitting in there and I happen to know that the infirmary will be empty for the next ten minutes.”
Lorne stood. “Thankyou, Sir.” he said, his voice a little awed.
John stood also and took a moment to watch as Lorne entered the infirmary and lowered himself onto the chair by Parrish’s bed. He saw Lorne drop his head onto the covers next to Parrish’s hip and then Parrish’s hand raise, fingers tangling in Lorne’s hair.
John sat back down outside the infirmary, stretching his legs out in front and making sure they had their ten minutes.
xxxxxx
“You’re kidding!”
Rodney turned to John and raised an eyebrow. “See I told you she would be like this,” he said sourly and John couldn’t help but chuckle. He turned in his seat back to Jeannie McKay, a woman so unlike to Rodney in feature that John would have never guessed they were related.
Then she would start speaking, her words quick and sharp and gestures sharper and John had thought there it is and didn’t know how he’d ever doubted these two hadn’t sprung from the same line.
“I’m sorry, but what the hell do you see in my brother?” Jeannie demanded, her brow arched in suspicion. “He’s got no money, he’s funny looking and he’s allergic to everything!”
Rodney was appalled but John smiled, seeing through the insults to the very real concern beneath. You’d better have all kinds of honourable intentions buddy, was what she was actually saying.
“You are the crappest sister ever!” Rodney exclaimed. “You’re supposed to extol my virtues, not scare him away and I am not allergic to everything. Just citrus, bee stings and only a very few types of grass.”
“For chrissakes Rodney, I don’t see you for three years and you turn up in my office towing your cute boyfriend, telling me you’ve been working in another galaxy and you’re having a wedding there and would like me to come?”
John glanced at Rodney with a smirk. “She thinks I’m cute,” he said smugly, knowing he was just throwing fuel on the fire but boy, did he love to watch Rodney burn.
Rodney obliged, throwing up his hands in abject frustration. “I couldn’t tell you anything before because it was classified and you’ve only just gotten security clearance to be able to attend this thing. John thought it would be nice to have family attend and you’re it, for both of us.”
“Oh, well that’s charming. How can I say no now? And what do you mean I’ve got clearance? Rodney McKay, did you get me investigated by the military?”
John watched the two McKays before him going at it for a while, purely enjoying the experience. Both people in front of him were giants in their field, respected and feared by their peers and when Jeannie managed to get Rodney into a headlock so she could repeatedly slap him on the forehead for scaring her half to death with the video he had sent just before the Wraith had attacked the city, he was awed.
This is love, he thought.
When they had finally wound down, running out of insults to fling at each other and resorting to such stellar ripostes as ‘stupid head’ and ‘fertilizer face’, John reached out a small metaphorical stick and nudged the embers because the glow of the fire before him was warming him to the core.
“Besides,” he said and Rodney looked at him, eyes narrowed. “We’re not actually getting married per se. It’s called an Athosian joining ceremony.”
He watched as Rodney looked horrified and Jeannie delighted.
“A joining ceremony!” Jeannie exclaimed, laughing maniacally.
xxxxxxx
“So you saw the email?” Elizabeth asked, looking stern.
“Yep.”
“You didn’t tell me about this before, why?”
“I didn’t want to put you in that position. You’re the leader of this expedition and duty-bound to report this kind of thing.”
“Like you did?”
John looked baffled. “Why would I-“
“I don’t mean you,” she said carefully and John jerked his head, a short violent denial.
“I’m not going to implicate anyone else,” he snapped.
“I didn’t think you would. They told me because they trusted me to protect them. I wish you had because when this kind of thing is a shock, it’s harder for me to protect you.”
“You going to protect us then?” John asked wryly, certain there was no way back from the career suicide he’d committed by letting one of the new Airmen they’d been assigned see him and Rodney in a brief clinch outside Rodney’s room.
He’d just been waiting for the other shoe to drop and three days later it had, in an impersonal email from Elizabeth with a not-so-impersonal additional email attached outlining the Airman’s very real regret but very pressing need to let the leader of the Atlantis expedition know that her Senior Military Officer and her Chief Science Officer were involved in a tawdry affair.
“Well, it’s lucky I don’t need to,” she said mildly and John blinked.
“What?”
“Yes, it seems Carson has admitted to having missed an anomaly in your body chemistry when you came back through from P4M-998. He stated that the kind of symptoms we would expect would be uncharacteristic sexual and aggressive responses unrestricted to your usual sex of preference. Apparently four other men under your command have come forward to admit that you propositioned them under the influence of this, thereby proving that you’re not actually having a relationship with Doctor McKay. All the paperwork is officially signed and stamped and has been sent along with the email and General Landry has already responded, advising that we keep you restricted to quarters until we’re sure this is… out of your system.”
John slumped in his chair. “Elizabeth, I can’t let-“
“Now, John. All of these reports have been signed and sent already. If you had a different version of events then it would go very badly for everyone. Do you have a different version?” she asked seriously, looking pained.
“I… no. No, I don’t.”
Elizabeth sat back in her chair, a hand reaching out and fingers trailing across the surface of the Athosian pottery John had gotten her as a birthday gift what seemed like an age ago. “Good, because we need you here, John. I trust this has served as a wakeup call and you’ll be more careful when… offworld?”
“Yes, Ma'am.” John said, cowed and amazed.
“Good. Now, I think after you’ve been restricted to your quarters for a further two days just to be sure, you’ll be wanting to thank Doctor Beckett, Major Lorne, Captain Harlan, Gardner and Freads for being so candid.”
“Yes, Ma'am.” John grinned.
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Oh, I haven't finished watching S2 yet and am already super-keen for S3!! :D
I loves my show!
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Grr. At least I'm gong to the Creation Con in March in Vancouver. Mmmmmm, Flanigan......
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I think there's been one here in the last couple of years and it was only in Melbourne... *grumbles*
From:
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So, Australia, huh? I've always wanted to go there. Honestly, if I could have a trip to any continent it would be Australia. You have KANGAROOS. That and you do things in Celcius. Base 10, man...it shouldn't be that complicated.
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And yes, kangaroos everywhere. I recently went up the coast and there were kangas just lazing about beside the road, dozens of 'em.
:D
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Hee. Love the icon. I miss having a Joss show on TV. Buffy, Angel, Firefly....they rocked so much. I'm so deprived of my weekly Whedon fix I need to watch Firefly on DVD every once in a while just to calm down.
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