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So I did it, I went and wrote a final installment in the bear!transformation series, started with Little Bear and continued with Sun Bear. I promise, this is the last transformation!fic I write...
Title: Kodiak
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kellifer_fic
Category: Fluffy crackalicious John/Rodney (with a hint of angst this time)
Rating: PGish... if even.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Yadda.
Notes: The final installment, following Little Bear and the sequel Sun Bear.
Summary:“Now who is that?” she demanded.
“Ah, it’s Rodney,” John sighed.
“You know, this isn’t funny anymore,” Elizabeth snapped.
“I know,” John replied, morosely.
“Where did you get that?” Rodney demanded and Miko jumped, clutching the small black device to her chest defensively.
“I was just-“
“I thought that was supposed to be destroyed,” Rodney said, folding his arms over his chest and looking appalled.
“I just…it can’t just be a device that turns people into bear cubs. There has to be something else and we just haven’t been able to find out what,” Miko protested, putting the device back onto the table and reapplying her screwdriver, intent on opening the casing.
“You people all give the Ancients too much credit and me a headache!” Rodney retorted, leaning over the table and snatching up the device. “Maybe they made something that was defective. Ever think of that, hmm?”
Miko was staring at the device, her eyes widening. “Should it be doing that?” she asked in a small voice.
“Doing what?”
***
“He’s my dog, y’know,” John complained when he saw Ronon jog into the commissary, a small furry shape barreling along at his heels.
Ronon shrugged. “I can’t help that he likes me,” he sighed, flopping down onto one of the chairs opposite. “Have you thought of a name for him yet?”
“I’m thinking Chewbacca. Works on two levels.” At Ronon’s raised eyebrow, John elaborated. “It’s a cultural reference and he also likes to chew everything in sight. Also, we can call him Chewie for short.”
“You’re not very good at naming things, are you?” Ronon commented, chuckling when John let out an “Oomph!” as the newly named Chewie launched himself onto John’s lap, legs hanging over either side and letting out a contented sigh. “Maybe I should get one, then he can have a properly named friend.”
John brightened. “I’ll drive,” he volunteered, grinning and getting up, tucking Chewie under his arm.
“Colonel Sheppard!” John and Ronon looked around as a tiny girl with enormous glasses skidded into the commissary, hair wild and looking distraught.
“Miko?” John hazarded, having remembered Rodney yelling that name more than once.
“Something… terrible…I didn’t mean…” Miko huffed, leaning over with her hands braced on her knees.
“Um, you do have a radio,” John said, tapping his ear but his good humour vanished when he saw how pale and shaken Miko was.
“What? What happened?” he demanded.
***
“I’m just hoping the next thing out of your mouth is, har har, we got you John,” John said, resigned that that wouldn’t be the case as he watched a brown bear cub tumble across the floor, one of his combat boots clutched in its paws and its head stuck firmly inside. The bear came up against a wall and made a disconcerted noise, trying to get its head free of the boot with little success.
“Do I look like someone who would play practical jokes?” Miko asked, her tone serious and John almost laughed at that, thinking that Miko could have had a pretty good career as a straight man.
“He’s in my quarters because…?” John raised an eyebrow and Miko shrugged.
“I didn’t know where else to put him and I kind of… panicked,” Miko said, her cheeks colouring and John realized that he and Ronon might have been the only people in Atlantis to know that the chief scientific officer was a bear. “Plus, your quarters was still… bear-proof.”
“Okay. Get Zelenka,” he ordered and then looked at Miko when she didn’t move. The brown bear was tumbling back the opposite way across the room.
“Um… I… can’t,” Miko said in a small voice. John huffed and looked back at Ronon, who was holding Chewie over one shoulder and had refused to cross the threshold of John’s room. Ronon had been fine with the furry mutt he was handling but another bear was a whole different prospect. “He’s gone back to Earth.”
John, in his panic, had forgotten.
“Okay, go find the other girl… um, Hayley?”
“Oh…um…”
“Don’t tell me,” John sighed, smacking a hand to his face. “She went with Zelenka.”
***
John had been standing in Elizabeth’s doorway for a few minutes before she finally noticed his presence and looked up. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed what he was awkwardly holding.
“Now who is that?” she demanded.
“Ah, it’s Rodney,” John sighed.
“You know, this isn’t funny anymore,” Elizabeth snapped.
“I know,” John replied, morosely.
***
Ronon found John underneath one of the science lab workstations and nudged his foot with a boot. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for Rodney. I…I lost him,” John said, pale and worried.
“I saw him just a moment ago, c’mon,” Ronon said, canting his head in the direction of the hall.
John followed Ronon at a jog and when they came into the gateroom he stumbled to a stop, mouth falling open. About ten marines were kicking around what looked like a soccer ball with both Chewbacca and the Rodney bear in mad pursuit every time it was past from one player to the next. Most of the men and women fell about laughing when both small animals hit the ball at the same time and then wrestled each other for possession.
“What are you people doing?” John demanded, leaning over and snatching Rodney up, who gave out a gruff bleat of protest and waved his front paws in the direction of the ball and the now very smug-looking Chewie who had fallen on it with joyful puppy abandon. “He could get hurt.”
“Relax, Sir. The little guy is fine,” Lorne said, jogging over and looking confused.
“He’s not fine, he’s Rodney!” John yelled, a little too loudly, jabbing the bear in Lorne’s direction. There was silence in the ‘gateroom as all the marines stared at him. Even Chewie had stopped mid-chew, staring up at John and then whining and coming to nudge John’s foot, sensing his master’s distress.
“I’m sorry Sir… we didn’t know,” Lorne said, sounding stricken.
Teyla appeared at John’s side, as if by magic. “I’ll take him,” she said, holding out her hands and John, after a beat, mutely handed over Rodney who snuffled and then began enthusiastically chewing on the end of Teyla’s hair. “I think you should go talk to Doctor Heightmeyer. You can come and get Rodney when you are done,” Teyla added in a low voice. She had that crazy human tone but underneath it was genuine concern.
John sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Yeah, fine,” he grumbled as the other officers watched him retreat, all with mute worry.
***
“To say I’m not qualified to deal with post bear syndrome is an understatement.”
“Are you making a joke?” John asked sourly, slumped down in the long chair by Kate’s window. She sat opposite, legs crossed primly and eyeing John warily.
“I apologise, although with the frequency this is happening, it might be an idea to get my doctorate in PBS.” This time, she got a wry grin out of John in response and Kate smiled in return. “People are dealing with unimaginable stress and you as military commander should take it seriously. You lost time and feel like you’ve been belittled in the eyes of the men and women under your command. Am I right?”
John ducked his head, pressing thumbs into the corners of his eyes with a heavy sigh. “I was turned into a bear. How many people can say that?”
“Two, actually,” Kate deadpanned.
“We’re still finding this funny?” John asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“Actually, I’m trying to get all the inappropriate humour out of the way so you’ll actually talk to me. Doctor Zelenka saw me before he left.”
“You think that’s why I overreacted though, seriously? Because I thought people would find me ludicrous after what happened? Rodney…” John huffed, leaning forward. “He was appalled that I was playing fetch with Zelenka. I just thought… I just thought he wouldn’t like the idea of the marines doing basically the same thing to him.”
“It’s okay to be worried,” Kate said gently.
“I’m not… I mean, there’s no reason… I’m just not.”
“Unexpected things happen. Yes, in all likelihood Rodney will be returned to his usual human self as soon as Zelenka returns, but you, John, live your life preparing for the worst. You can’t assume everything will be okay because sometimes it isn’t.”
There was a quiet scratching from Kate’s door and John looked at it, glanced at her and then got up and swiped his hand across the door sensor. He looked down to see the little Kodiak bear with his nose pressed to the floor. The small Rodney bear gave a little yip of joy and barreled into John’s legs. Right at that moment, Teyla came hurtling around the corner, breathing hard.
“He is faster in this form,” she huffed, wiping the back of her hand across her brow.
John chuckled and bent to scoop Rodney up.
***
“It’s funny.”
“What?” John asked, amusement in his eyes watching Rodney sitting up like a small fuzzy person on Dave Parrish’s knee while he tucked into the bowl of fish laid out in front of him that the cafeteria staff patiently handed over as soon as they spotted the bear. They had tried the large bowl approach on the table but Rodney seemed to eat with as much gusto when a bear as when a person and kept knocking the bowl over. Being restrained seemed to be the only way to appease the staff that had started giving him baleful looks at the mess being made.
“That in bear form, even though he’s not a polar bear, you and he could’ve gotten along well.”
John canted his head at David. He had a lot of time for the young botanist, especially since being on Lorne’s team; he tended to see him a lot. As if summoned by thought, Lorne dropped into a chair next to Parrish. He looked warily at John, who grimaced and waved a hand, an apology and permission in one. Lorne grinned and leaned forward, scrubbing a hand over Rodney’s fuzzy head and then tugging on an ear.
Rodney never paused in his eating.
“How so?” John asked.
“Both eat fish, both swimmers. Neither of you mind the colder climbs, although in your case it was a little extreme.” Parrish shrugged. “Made for each other.”
John blanched, looking at Lorne quickly, who simply grinned at Parrish and shook his head. “You and your kooky theories,” Lorne sighed, but it was said with such affection and when Lorne rubbed Rodney’s head again, his fingers happened to brush Parrish’s sleeve and something clicked into place for John.
Oh…
“When’s Zelenka back?” Lorne asked, jolting John out of his contemplation.
“Oh, ah, the Daedelus was on her way back when this happened. They’re only three days out.”
“He’s bigger than you were,” Parrish said, hefting Rodney onto the table now there was a completely empty bowl that Rodney started batting around the table.
John snorted, feeling the tips of his ears heat and Lorne ducked his head, shoulders shaking in silent laughter. Parrish looked at them both, confusion on his face.
“What?”
***
Carson found John and Rodney in one of the higher towers of Atlantis where there had been a bathing area. Rodney was paddling around one of the deeper pools resolutely, looking diligent but fairly unimpressed. Every time John leaned over the water to scoop him out though, the small bear veered away, like he was determined to enjoy the experience but just hadn’t figured out how yet.
“Someone mentioned they liked swimming,” John said, by way of explanation. He was sitting on the edge of the pool, pants legs rolled up and feet in the water.
“Aye, but he threw you in the ocean when you were a wee bear,” Carson chuckled and John grimaced.
“I took him out to the pier and he looked appalled. This is better.”
“Appalled?” Carson asked, eyebrows raised.
John shrugged. “I could tell.”
“Look, Laura brought him around the infirmary yesterday to get him checked out,” Carson began, his casual manner dropping away and being replaced by his professional mask in a way that had always impressed John. John turned, pulling his feet out of the water and standing, hands on hips.
“I’ve heard that tone before,” John said, something unpleasant curling in his stomach.
“Aye. Look, I don’t know whether it’s the device itself or the amount of time spent transformed or the fact that Rodney was not the healthiest of specimens before the change.”
“Carson,” John said, voice low. He turned back to see Rodney had headed for the shallow end of the bath and pulled himself out. He shook out like a dog, water flying in every direction and trotted over to them, pushing a wet nose against John’s bare calf.
“His little heart was showing signs of strain. Frankly, I’m not sure what this is doing to him.”
“Well, Zelenka will be back tomorrow and we can change Rodney-“
“Colonel, when you were normalized, it took a week for you to become human again. Doctor Zelenka was back to his normal self in only a day. The best case scenario means we don’t really have anything to worry about, but if it’s a week…”
“Carson, what are you saying? That this could kill him?” John asked, scooping Rodney up and hugging him to his chest, unmindful of the fact that he was completely sodden.
“Aye, there is the possibility. We just don’t know what kind of stress the transformation puts on the body and with Rodney’s borderline hypertension-“
“I get it,” John said, burying his face in wet fur.
***
John sat on his bed with his laptop across his knee and a bear on his back, front paws over his shoulders. Chewbacca was by John’s feet, gnawing the laces of John’s new sneakers contemplatively. John had tried hiding them, putting them up high and even putting them in Rodney’s room but Chewbacca had found them every time and John had resigned himself to the fact that they were actually Chewie’s new sneakers.
Teyla appeared in John’s doorway. “Doctor Beckett told me,” she said, without preamble.
“You mean he sent you here to check on us,” John countered and Teyla smiled, crossing the room and dropping onto the bed by Chewbacca, wrestling one of the sneakers out of his maw. She sniffed at it and grimaced.
“This smells like Kadra meat,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“Probably because my little monster had been chewing on them all day,” John shrugged but when Teyla leaned over and sniffed at Chewbacca’s muzzle and shook her head, John chuckled. “Rodney hated those sneakers. He must have rubbed something on them so Chewie would destroy them and he could claim death by puppy.”
“That is very… clever,” Teyla grinned and John smiled, patting the paw on his right shoulder.
“Rodney doesn’t do stuff in half measures,” he said, but then his face clouded. “What did Carson tell you?”
“That it is hard on Doctor McKay to be in this form and the sooner he is returned to his original form, the better,” Teyla said, smiling bravely but John could see her concern. Despite their differences, he knew she cared for Rodney a great deal.
For all of them.
“Colonel Sheppard?” John’s radio clicked and John tapped it.
“Yeah Lorne?”
“The Daedelus just landed.”
John shoved the laptop off his knee and reached backwards, yanking Rodney over his shoulder and into his arms. “On my way,” he called.
***
“I thought it had been destroyed,” Radek said, bustling around his lab and shooting scathing glances at the staff that were buzzing around him nervously.
“If wishes were horses,” John quipped, moving sideways to block when Rodney made an abortive lunge off the lab table.
“The moment we return Rodney to natural form, I am personally smashing this thing. It may do something other than turn people to bears, but what I do not know. Not care at this point, either,” Radek growled, shaking the small black device before bringing it closer to his face to make adjustments.
“We’ll make a party of it,” John agreed, wincing at the plaintive growls Rodney was making by being held down while Radek brought the device over and touched it to his furry head. “Everyone who’s been bear-ised can have a turn with a hammer.”
“Usually, reckless destruction of delicate equipment I would not agree with,” Radek said, eyes serious. “This time, I make an exemption. This time, I bring hammer.”
***
Carson’s instructions were no excitement.
The Rodney bear had been plaguing John to play all day and John had had to staunchly refuse and keep them quiet. Rodney had only settled when John had taken him back to his room and laid down, arranging Rodney on his chest and scratching his ears. It was uncomfortable for him, but Rodney’s eyes were drooping so he would not move for the world.
John only belatedly realized he was sweating lightly because Rodney was getting warmer. After what seemed like only a few seconds, heat was coming off the little bear in waves. John reached for his radio with a panicky hand but just as his fingers touched it, there was an orange pulse that left colours washed across his vision and he had a very human scientist sprawled on top of him, arms framing his head and legs around his torso.
“Ah, hi?” Rodney grinned sheepishly and John let out a bark of relieved laughter, hugging Rodney to him tightly.
“Tell me I wasn’t a bear,” Rodney groaned and John’s laughter doubled, tears leaking out of his eyes.
***
“Ready?” John asked, looking first at Rodney and then Radek. They were in the middle of the gate room, around a small table with practically the whole of Atlantis turned out to watch. They each had a hand around the pommel of a single, comically large hammer that one of the scientists had found.
“Now!” John called and as one, all three men brought their hands down and there was a resounding crack.
Title: Kodiak
Author:
kellifer_ficCategory: Fluffy crackalicious John/Rodney (with a hint of angst this time)
Rating: PGish... if even.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Yadda.
Notes: The final installment, following Little Bear and the sequel Sun Bear.
Summary:“Now who is that?” she demanded.
“Ah, it’s Rodney,” John sighed.
“You know, this isn’t funny anymore,” Elizabeth snapped.
“I know,” John replied, morosely.
“Where did you get that?” Rodney demanded and Miko jumped, clutching the small black device to her chest defensively.
“I was just-“
“I thought that was supposed to be destroyed,” Rodney said, folding his arms over his chest and looking appalled.
“I just…it can’t just be a device that turns people into bear cubs. There has to be something else and we just haven’t been able to find out what,” Miko protested, putting the device back onto the table and reapplying her screwdriver, intent on opening the casing.
“You people all give the Ancients too much credit and me a headache!” Rodney retorted, leaning over the table and snatching up the device. “Maybe they made something that was defective. Ever think of that, hmm?”
Miko was staring at the device, her eyes widening. “Should it be doing that?” she asked in a small voice.
“Doing what?”
“He’s my dog, y’know,” John complained when he saw Ronon jog into the commissary, a small furry shape barreling along at his heels.
Ronon shrugged. “I can’t help that he likes me,” he sighed, flopping down onto one of the chairs opposite. “Have you thought of a name for him yet?”
“I’m thinking Chewbacca. Works on two levels.” At Ronon’s raised eyebrow, John elaborated. “It’s a cultural reference and he also likes to chew everything in sight. Also, we can call him Chewie for short.”
“You’re not very good at naming things, are you?” Ronon commented, chuckling when John let out an “Oomph!” as the newly named Chewie launched himself onto John’s lap, legs hanging over either side and letting out a contented sigh. “Maybe I should get one, then he can have a properly named friend.”
John brightened. “I’ll drive,” he volunteered, grinning and getting up, tucking Chewie under his arm.
“Colonel Sheppard!” John and Ronon looked around as a tiny girl with enormous glasses skidded into the commissary, hair wild and looking distraught.
“Miko?” John hazarded, having remembered Rodney yelling that name more than once.
“Something… terrible…I didn’t mean…” Miko huffed, leaning over with her hands braced on her knees.
“Um, you do have a radio,” John said, tapping his ear but his good humour vanished when he saw how pale and shaken Miko was.
“What? What happened?” he demanded.
“I’m just hoping the next thing out of your mouth is, har har, we got you John,” John said, resigned that that wouldn’t be the case as he watched a brown bear cub tumble across the floor, one of his combat boots clutched in its paws and its head stuck firmly inside. The bear came up against a wall and made a disconcerted noise, trying to get its head free of the boot with little success.
“Do I look like someone who would play practical jokes?” Miko asked, her tone serious and John almost laughed at that, thinking that Miko could have had a pretty good career as a straight man.
“He’s in my quarters because…?” John raised an eyebrow and Miko shrugged.
“I didn’t know where else to put him and I kind of… panicked,” Miko said, her cheeks colouring and John realized that he and Ronon might have been the only people in Atlantis to know that the chief scientific officer was a bear. “Plus, your quarters was still… bear-proof.”
“Okay. Get Zelenka,” he ordered and then looked at Miko when she didn’t move. The brown bear was tumbling back the opposite way across the room.
“Um… I… can’t,” Miko said in a small voice. John huffed and looked back at Ronon, who was holding Chewie over one shoulder and had refused to cross the threshold of John’s room. Ronon had been fine with the furry mutt he was handling but another bear was a whole different prospect. “He’s gone back to Earth.”
John, in his panic, had forgotten.
“Okay, go find the other girl… um, Hayley?”
“Oh…um…”
“Don’t tell me,” John sighed, smacking a hand to his face. “She went with Zelenka.”
John had been standing in Elizabeth’s doorway for a few minutes before she finally noticed his presence and looked up. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed what he was awkwardly holding.
“Now who is that?” she demanded.
“Ah, it’s Rodney,” John sighed.
“You know, this isn’t funny anymore,” Elizabeth snapped.
“I know,” John replied, morosely.
Ronon found John underneath one of the science lab workstations and nudged his foot with a boot. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for Rodney. I…I lost him,” John said, pale and worried.
“I saw him just a moment ago, c’mon,” Ronon said, canting his head in the direction of the hall.
John followed Ronon at a jog and when they came into the gateroom he stumbled to a stop, mouth falling open. About ten marines were kicking around what looked like a soccer ball with both Chewbacca and the Rodney bear in mad pursuit every time it was past from one player to the next. Most of the men and women fell about laughing when both small animals hit the ball at the same time and then wrestled each other for possession.
“What are you people doing?” John demanded, leaning over and snatching Rodney up, who gave out a gruff bleat of protest and waved his front paws in the direction of the ball and the now very smug-looking Chewie who had fallen on it with joyful puppy abandon. “He could get hurt.”
“Relax, Sir. The little guy is fine,” Lorne said, jogging over and looking confused.
“He’s not fine, he’s Rodney!” John yelled, a little too loudly, jabbing the bear in Lorne’s direction. There was silence in the ‘gateroom as all the marines stared at him. Even Chewie had stopped mid-chew, staring up at John and then whining and coming to nudge John’s foot, sensing his master’s distress.
“I’m sorry Sir… we didn’t know,” Lorne said, sounding stricken.
Teyla appeared at John’s side, as if by magic. “I’ll take him,” she said, holding out her hands and John, after a beat, mutely handed over Rodney who snuffled and then began enthusiastically chewing on the end of Teyla’s hair. “I think you should go talk to Doctor Heightmeyer. You can come and get Rodney when you are done,” Teyla added in a low voice. She had that crazy human tone but underneath it was genuine concern.
John sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Yeah, fine,” he grumbled as the other officers watched him retreat, all with mute worry.
“To say I’m not qualified to deal with post bear syndrome is an understatement.”
“Are you making a joke?” John asked sourly, slumped down in the long chair by Kate’s window. She sat opposite, legs crossed primly and eyeing John warily.
“I apologise, although with the frequency this is happening, it might be an idea to get my doctorate in PBS.” This time, she got a wry grin out of John in response and Kate smiled in return. “People are dealing with unimaginable stress and you as military commander should take it seriously. You lost time and feel like you’ve been belittled in the eyes of the men and women under your command. Am I right?”
John ducked his head, pressing thumbs into the corners of his eyes with a heavy sigh. “I was turned into a bear. How many people can say that?”
“Two, actually,” Kate deadpanned.
“We’re still finding this funny?” John asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“Actually, I’m trying to get all the inappropriate humour out of the way so you’ll actually talk to me. Doctor Zelenka saw me before he left.”
“You think that’s why I overreacted though, seriously? Because I thought people would find me ludicrous after what happened? Rodney…” John huffed, leaning forward. “He was appalled that I was playing fetch with Zelenka. I just thought… I just thought he wouldn’t like the idea of the marines doing basically the same thing to him.”
“It’s okay to be worried,” Kate said gently.
“I’m not… I mean, there’s no reason… I’m just not.”
“Unexpected things happen. Yes, in all likelihood Rodney will be returned to his usual human self as soon as Zelenka returns, but you, John, live your life preparing for the worst. You can’t assume everything will be okay because sometimes it isn’t.”
There was a quiet scratching from Kate’s door and John looked at it, glanced at her and then got up and swiped his hand across the door sensor. He looked down to see the little Kodiak bear with his nose pressed to the floor. The small Rodney bear gave a little yip of joy and barreled into John’s legs. Right at that moment, Teyla came hurtling around the corner, breathing hard.
“He is faster in this form,” she huffed, wiping the back of her hand across her brow.
John chuckled and bent to scoop Rodney up.
“It’s funny.”
“What?” John asked, amusement in his eyes watching Rodney sitting up like a small fuzzy person on Dave Parrish’s knee while he tucked into the bowl of fish laid out in front of him that the cafeteria staff patiently handed over as soon as they spotted the bear. They had tried the large bowl approach on the table but Rodney seemed to eat with as much gusto when a bear as when a person and kept knocking the bowl over. Being restrained seemed to be the only way to appease the staff that had started giving him baleful looks at the mess being made.
“That in bear form, even though he’s not a polar bear, you and he could’ve gotten along well.”
John canted his head at David. He had a lot of time for the young botanist, especially since being on Lorne’s team; he tended to see him a lot. As if summoned by thought, Lorne dropped into a chair next to Parrish. He looked warily at John, who grimaced and waved a hand, an apology and permission in one. Lorne grinned and leaned forward, scrubbing a hand over Rodney’s fuzzy head and then tugging on an ear.
Rodney never paused in his eating.
“How so?” John asked.
“Both eat fish, both swimmers. Neither of you mind the colder climbs, although in your case it was a little extreme.” Parrish shrugged. “Made for each other.”
John blanched, looking at Lorne quickly, who simply grinned at Parrish and shook his head. “You and your kooky theories,” Lorne sighed, but it was said with such affection and when Lorne rubbed Rodney’s head again, his fingers happened to brush Parrish’s sleeve and something clicked into place for John.
Oh…
“When’s Zelenka back?” Lorne asked, jolting John out of his contemplation.
“Oh, ah, the Daedelus was on her way back when this happened. They’re only three days out.”
“He’s bigger than you were,” Parrish said, hefting Rodney onto the table now there was a completely empty bowl that Rodney started batting around the table.
John snorted, feeling the tips of his ears heat and Lorne ducked his head, shoulders shaking in silent laughter. Parrish looked at them both, confusion on his face.
“What?”
Carson found John and Rodney in one of the higher towers of Atlantis where there had been a bathing area. Rodney was paddling around one of the deeper pools resolutely, looking diligent but fairly unimpressed. Every time John leaned over the water to scoop him out though, the small bear veered away, like he was determined to enjoy the experience but just hadn’t figured out how yet.
“Someone mentioned they liked swimming,” John said, by way of explanation. He was sitting on the edge of the pool, pants legs rolled up and feet in the water.
“Aye, but he threw you in the ocean when you were a wee bear,” Carson chuckled and John grimaced.
“I took him out to the pier and he looked appalled. This is better.”
“Appalled?” Carson asked, eyebrows raised.
John shrugged. “I could tell.”
“Look, Laura brought him around the infirmary yesterday to get him checked out,” Carson began, his casual manner dropping away and being replaced by his professional mask in a way that had always impressed John. John turned, pulling his feet out of the water and standing, hands on hips.
“I’ve heard that tone before,” John said, something unpleasant curling in his stomach.
“Aye. Look, I don’t know whether it’s the device itself or the amount of time spent transformed or the fact that Rodney was not the healthiest of specimens before the change.”
“Carson,” John said, voice low. He turned back to see Rodney had headed for the shallow end of the bath and pulled himself out. He shook out like a dog, water flying in every direction and trotted over to them, pushing a wet nose against John’s bare calf.
“His little heart was showing signs of strain. Frankly, I’m not sure what this is doing to him.”
“Well, Zelenka will be back tomorrow and we can change Rodney-“
“Colonel, when you were normalized, it took a week for you to become human again. Doctor Zelenka was back to his normal self in only a day. The best case scenario means we don’t really have anything to worry about, but if it’s a week…”
“Carson, what are you saying? That this could kill him?” John asked, scooping Rodney up and hugging him to his chest, unmindful of the fact that he was completely sodden.
“Aye, there is the possibility. We just don’t know what kind of stress the transformation puts on the body and with Rodney’s borderline hypertension-“
“I get it,” John said, burying his face in wet fur.
John sat on his bed with his laptop across his knee and a bear on his back, front paws over his shoulders. Chewbacca was by John’s feet, gnawing the laces of John’s new sneakers contemplatively. John had tried hiding them, putting them up high and even putting them in Rodney’s room but Chewbacca had found them every time and John had resigned himself to the fact that they were actually Chewie’s new sneakers.
Teyla appeared in John’s doorway. “Doctor Beckett told me,” she said, without preamble.
“You mean he sent you here to check on us,” John countered and Teyla smiled, crossing the room and dropping onto the bed by Chewbacca, wrestling one of the sneakers out of his maw. She sniffed at it and grimaced.
“This smells like Kadra meat,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“Probably because my little monster had been chewing on them all day,” John shrugged but when Teyla leaned over and sniffed at Chewbacca’s muzzle and shook her head, John chuckled. “Rodney hated those sneakers. He must have rubbed something on them so Chewie would destroy them and he could claim death by puppy.”
“That is very… clever,” Teyla grinned and John smiled, patting the paw on his right shoulder.
“Rodney doesn’t do stuff in half measures,” he said, but then his face clouded. “What did Carson tell you?”
“That it is hard on Doctor McKay to be in this form and the sooner he is returned to his original form, the better,” Teyla said, smiling bravely but John could see her concern. Despite their differences, he knew she cared for Rodney a great deal.
For all of them.
“Colonel Sheppard?” John’s radio clicked and John tapped it.
“Yeah Lorne?”
“The Daedelus just landed.”
John shoved the laptop off his knee and reached backwards, yanking Rodney over his shoulder and into his arms. “On my way,” he called.
“I thought it had been destroyed,” Radek said, bustling around his lab and shooting scathing glances at the staff that were buzzing around him nervously.
“If wishes were horses,” John quipped, moving sideways to block when Rodney made an abortive lunge off the lab table.
“The moment we return Rodney to natural form, I am personally smashing this thing. It may do something other than turn people to bears, but what I do not know. Not care at this point, either,” Radek growled, shaking the small black device before bringing it closer to his face to make adjustments.
“We’ll make a party of it,” John agreed, wincing at the plaintive growls Rodney was making by being held down while Radek brought the device over and touched it to his furry head. “Everyone who’s been bear-ised can have a turn with a hammer.”
“Usually, reckless destruction of delicate equipment I would not agree with,” Radek said, eyes serious. “This time, I make an exemption. This time, I bring hammer.”
Carson’s instructions were no excitement.
The Rodney bear had been plaguing John to play all day and John had had to staunchly refuse and keep them quiet. Rodney had only settled when John had taken him back to his room and laid down, arranging Rodney on his chest and scratching his ears. It was uncomfortable for him, but Rodney’s eyes were drooping so he would not move for the world.
John only belatedly realized he was sweating lightly because Rodney was getting warmer. After what seemed like only a few seconds, heat was coming off the little bear in waves. John reached for his radio with a panicky hand but just as his fingers touched it, there was an orange pulse that left colours washed across his vision and he had a very human scientist sprawled on top of him, arms framing his head and legs around his torso.
“Ah, hi?” Rodney grinned sheepishly and John let out a bark of relieved laughter, hugging Rodney to him tightly.
“Tell me I wasn’t a bear,” Rodney groaned and John’s laughter doubled, tears leaking out of his eyes.
“Ready?” John asked, looking first at Rodney and then Radek. They were in the middle of the gate room, around a small table with practically the whole of Atlantis turned out to watch. They each had a hand around the pommel of a single, comically large hammer that one of the scientists had found.
“Now!” John called and as one, all three men brought their hands down and there was a resounding crack.
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