264 Hours by Lenore (NC-17)

[hilde.livejournal.com]

Show: SGA

Rec Category: John/Rodney
Characters: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay
Pairings: John/Rodney
Categories: Slash
Warnings: None
Author on LJ: scribblinlenore
Author's Website: Lenore's stories, on AO3
Link: 264 Hours

Why This Must Be Read: Set after The Siege, this is a brilliant take on the aftermath seen from Rodney's perspective. Back on earth, Rodney finds it impossible to relax and sleep. We get to see the desperate measures Rodney takes as he tries to find respite from his own thoughts. The story is also a great example of John and Rodney's friendship.


The Nazis were fond of sleep deprivation experiments, Rodney remembers reading. They found that the longest a person could survive was 264 hours, and the symptoms followed a predictable course. Day 2, difficulty focusing the eyes. Day 3, abrupt fluctuations in mood. Day 4, hallucinations. On and on until inevitable death. Rodney tries to calculate how long it's been since he last slept, but the equations keep slipping off the whiteboard in his mind. Not 264 hours, apparently, since he can still hear the dull thud of his pulse.