stargateficrec | The Fundamental Things by Taste_is

Thought I posted this to the community this morning, but it went up on my own page instead. Whoops!

Show: Stargate Atlantis

Rec Category: John/Rodney
Characters: John, Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, Elizabeth, Radek, Carson, Lorne
Categories: Teen and Up
Warnings: Amnesia, big time h/c
Author on LJ:

taste_is_sweet
Link: The Fundamental Things

Why This Must Be Read: The depth of feeling between John and Rodney is the whole story here. Kept prisoner on a derelict ship, having lost the memory of everything they were and everything they know - even simple words at times - they still hold on to each other. It’s beautiful and heart-breaking, and everything perfect that you’d expect from one of Taste’s fics.

John Sheppard came awake fighting, striking out at someone shaking him.

"Ow! Stop it! John, cut it out!" A man John didn't recognize was holding his wrists, on his knees next to him. He had brown hair, but his eyes were sharp and…and sky-colored? John wasn't sure, but they were very bright and somehow mesmerizing. The stranger had strong features and a crooked mouth, and his face was so bruised it looked like he'd been…like something bad had happened to him.

John went still immediately, so he wouldn't hurt the other man more than he already had been.

"Was that…me?" he asked, tilting his chin at the man's face, because he was still holding John's wrists. John really hoped not, because he wanted to kill whoever had hurt the other man like that. He didn't know the man's name, but the ones who hurt him were going to die.

"No. You didn't hurt me," the man said gratifyingly quickly. He swallowed and the brief movement was just as mesmerizing as his eyes. "I'm letting go of you now, okay? Please don't take a swing at me."

John knew he would never, but he couldn't think of how to say that, so he just nodded. The other man carefully let John go and shifted a little farther away from him. John tried to sit up then sank back with a groan when it fully hit him how much moving hurt. There was something to describe what his head felt like, but he couldn't think of it. The floor under his back was cold and hard and felt like metal.

"Here," the other man said, offering his hand. John didn't hesitate before he let the man help pull him upright. The man's crooked mouth dropped further when John groaned again. "The pain will go away in a bit, I promise. It just…" He rubbed the middle of his forehead, half-closing his eyes. He looked like his head hurt. "There's a reason for why it does that. I can't remember."

John blinked at him. "What does what?" His throat hurt along with everything else, he realized, like he'd been talking too much. He rubbed it as he looked around. "Where are we?"

"The, uh…the chair thing," the man said. He grimaced, rubbing his forehead again. "That's not…It's, uh, blue. And it shines. You know?"

"Blue," John said. That was a color but for a second he didn't know which one. Not grass--no, that was green. The sky color; that was it. And… "Water?"

"What? Oh, of course. Sorry. I forgot." The man reached for a metal cup that was beside him and handed it to John. "Do you remember the blue chair?"

The water in the cup was clear, not blue, which made sense and didn't at the same time. John drank, only realizing then just how thirsty he was. "Thank you."