stargateficrec | Fine by rageprufrock (teens and up)

Show: SGA

Rec Category: Rodney McKay
Characters: Rodney McKay, John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan, Carson Beckett, Elizabeth Weir
Categories: Gen
Warnings:
Author on LJ:

rageprufrock
Author's Website: rageprufrock on AO3
Link: Fine

Why This Must Be Read: Although this story is more about Rodney worrying about John, for me it fits perfectly into the Rodney McKay category because we get to see the Rodney beneath the snarky exterior. This is a Rodney who wants badly to believe what everyone is telling him, that John is fine, but he just can't quite believe it himself. It also illustrates how much friendship really does mean to Rodney, even if he can't always get his head around the self-sacrifices some friends are willing to make for him.

"There's something wrong," Rodney posits.

Elizabeth raises one eyebrow, glances at where Sheppard is leaning up against a wall to make it light up for him, changing colors from blue to green to some luminous, heartbreaking pale.

"He seems fine to me," she says dryly.

"He's flirting with the drywall!" Rodney argues. "It's a sure sign of some lingering trauma!"

Elizabeth's eyes go all soft, and before she can suggest something like "Do you want to talk, Rodney?" or "I know it was very difficult for you, too, Rodney, perhaps you need a break from field work, just until Major Sheppard is on his feet again, ," like last time--Rodney does the heroic thing and makes up an incomprehensible science excuse so he can run away.

Two hours later, when he gets back, Sheppard's cheating on the God damned wall with a spinning, circular thing that is playing beautiful, haunting music. Rodney's going to find whoever keeps giving Sheppard unidentified Ancient shit to seduce and beat them to death.

"He's just bored, Rodney," Elizabeth chides him gently.

"He's molesting the city," Rodney sulks.

He doesn't get why nobody else gets that this is wrong, that Major John Sheppard is curling his hands around spindly glass poles and smoothing his thumbs over warm walls and grinning when less than a month ago Rodney watched him almost bleed to death, saying, "It's fine--it's fine."

Elizabeth smiles and puts her hand on Rodney's shoulder. "I think the city likes it."

"Of course the city likes it," Rodney complains. "He's Kirk. Atlantis is the dirty, pouty--"

"Rodney."

"I'm going to find some driftwood," Rodney says suddenly, and stalks off.