[Stargate: Fiction] "Every Cloud" [John/Rodney, G]
Title: Every Cloud
Author: Ami Ven
Prompt: 100_tales prompt 004 rain
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,230
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Summary: “Go ahead and give this cloud a silver lining while I catch my death of pneumonia.”
Every Cloud
John had been looking right at Rodney at the time and he still wasn’t sure what had happened.
They had been exploring yet another abandoned Ancient outpost, this one full of half-disassembled consoles and broken components. Rodney had found one unit that looked more intact than the rest and got to work examining it.
He had just set his right hand on the top of it to support his weight while he looked at a side panel. A thin line around the edge lit up bright blue, and before John could shout a warning, a strip of metal rose from the surface behind Rodney’s hand and snapped around his wrist.
Rodney gave a yelp of surprise and staggered backwards, clutching his arm. John hurried to pull him back from the console, as Rodney batted his hands away.
“Don’t touch it! It’s-” Rodney paused. “It doesn’t hurt.”
John took half a step back, and Rodney peeled his left hand away.
The metal had formed a seamless band around his wrist, about seven centimeters wide, but half a centimeter thick. There were no markings, variations or controls of any kind.
“And it doesn’t hurt?” John pressed.
Rodney shook his head. “I can only just feel it with my gene, but it doesn’t feel dangerous. Sheppard, I need you to touch it - carefully - and see if your super-gene can figure out what it wants.”
John took Rodney’s hand in his own, then touched the tip of his left index finger to the metal. “It feels… unfinished,” he said. “Whatever it’s trying to do, it’s working really hard, like some of the pieces to do it aren’t quite right.”
“And what is it trying to do?” Rodney demanded.
“I…” said John. “The weather? That doesn’t make any sense. The Ancients had advanced technology, why would they need a slap bracelet weather app?”
“I’m more interested in whether you can get it off.”
John closed his eyes, then opened them, then put his whole palm over the device. “Um, that’s a no.”
“What?”
The metal warmed slightly under John’s hand, and something began flickering above their heads - a nebulous swirl of what looked like light or smoke.
“Wraith?” asked John, dropping Rodney’s hand to pick up his P90.
The other man consulted his Life Signs Detector. “No, there’s no one here but us. And Teyla and Ronon outside.”
“Then what is that?”
“I-”
They both watched as the flickering resolved into swirls of visible particles, roiling together into… a fluffy cloud?
The cloud floated above Rodney’s head for a moment, still swirling as it slowly turned gray. It rumbled, then began to rain in a neat two-foot radius over him.
Rodney scowled. “Oh, that is just typical.”
*
“Oh, aye, you’re stuck,” said Carson.
Rodney scowled. “That’s your professional medical opinion?”
“Yes, it is. I’ve run every scan and test I can. There’s no way to get it off without opening it in some way, and there doesn’t seem to be any way to get it open. And it’s made of a very durable Ancient metal, so any attempt to cut or melt it off would likely be much more harmful to you.”
“I’ll reserve judgement on that until I’ve examined it myself,” Rodney grumbled.
Above him, the wisps of white clouds that had been floating began converging again.
“So, no luck?” asked John, coming around the infirmary curtain.
Rodney scowled, and the cloud turned gray. “I-” he began, but Carson took his arm, pushing him toward the door.
“No more rain in my infirmary.”
“I’m not the one-”
“C’mon, McKay,” said John, and took his other arm. “We’ll go sit out on the balcony while Radek works on those scans.”
“Outside?” said Rodney. “I can’t-”
The cloud let out a rumble of thunder, and it began to rain.
“Out!” yelled Carson, and Rodney let John pull him from the room.
Normally, Rodney would have complained about being dragged outside, but the sunshine felt good after being soaked by his own personal raincloud. He closed his eyes, leaning against the balcony rail, and felt the rain start to let up.
“Feeling better now, Eeyore?”
Rodney scowled. “No thanks to you, Colonel Tigger.”
“Hey, it wouldn’t have helped anything to stick around raining all over the infirmary.”
“I’m glad you’re amused by this,” Rodney grumbled, and the cloud above his head darkened.
“Hey,” John said again. “I’m not amused, I’m… relieved. When that thing grabbed you, I thought- but it wasn’t. You’re okay.”
“I’m soaking wet!” Rodney protested.
“But you’re alive,” said John. “You’re not hurt or transformed or dead. Radek will figure this out and you’ll be just fine.”
Rodney sighed. “Fine. Fine.” He waved a hand at his cloud, which had turned wispy and pale. “Go ahead and give this cloud a silver lining while I catch my death of pneumonia.”
“It’s the middle of summer,” said John. “And you know how to keep dry - you just need to stop being so gloomy.”
“This isn’t a cartoon, Sheppard!” Rodney cried. “I don’t have a storm above my head because I’m sad, it’s because this-” He shook his wrist, with the Ancient device, between them “-is causing it.”
“Actually…”
Radek was standing in the open doorway, and he came out to join them.
“The city database didn’t have anything on this device,” he continued, “but we were able to access some data from the console unit.”
“And?” Rodney demanded.
“It appears to be another Ascension aid. The person wearing the bracelet would be able to see, and therefore understand, their own emotions.”
“And for that I need to get rained on?”
Radek shrugged. “The idea seemed to be that the person also needed to see how their emotions affected themselves and those around them.”
“But Rodney’s not in any danger, is he?” John asked.
“Oh, no, colonel,” said Radek. “Well, no more than usual. This device was a prototype, and the Ancients did not find it particularly useful, so it was abandoned. That seems to account for the ‘unfinished’ feeling you got from it. But it does work, so there is no danger. It should last for a little over twenty-eight hours, then shut off.”
“That’s great,” said John.
“That’s not great,” Rodney corrected. “I still have to put up with this for twenty-three more hours!”
Radek patted his shoulder. “That sounds like you need a psychology professional, not an engineering professional. I will leave you to it.”
Rodney scowled, causing his cloud to rumble ominously, but Radek just smiled and left.
“That annoying-” Rodney began, but John caught his hand, “Hey.”
“What?” snapped Rodney.
“You know I love you the way you are, right?” John asked, softly. “All the arguing and complaints and insults… you wouldn’t be you otherwise and I like you.”
Rodney managed a smile. “I know,” he said, then sighed. “I can’t change my personality, so I guess I’ll just go see if the botany lab needs to be watered.”
“Or…” said John.
“Or what?”
“Or,” John repeated, “We could take the next twenty-three hours off and find some way to keep your little cloud too happy to rain.”
Rodney frowned. “What?”
“Sex, McKay, I mean sex.”
“Oh. Oh. That does sound better than the botany lab.”
John laughed and kissed him - and the cloud above their heads arced into a perfect rainbow.
THE END
Current Mood:
cold
Author: Ami Ven
Prompt: 100_tales prompt 004 rain
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,230
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Summary: “Go ahead and give this cloud a silver lining while I catch my death of pneumonia.”
Every Cloud
John had been looking right at Rodney at the time and he still wasn’t sure what had happened.
They had been exploring yet another abandoned Ancient outpost, this one full of half-disassembled consoles and broken components. Rodney had found one unit that looked more intact than the rest and got to work examining it.
He had just set his right hand on the top of it to support his weight while he looked at a side panel. A thin line around the edge lit up bright blue, and before John could shout a warning, a strip of metal rose from the surface behind Rodney’s hand and snapped around his wrist.
Rodney gave a yelp of surprise and staggered backwards, clutching his arm. John hurried to pull him back from the console, as Rodney batted his hands away.
“Don’t touch it! It’s-” Rodney paused. “It doesn’t hurt.”
John took half a step back, and Rodney peeled his left hand away.
The metal had formed a seamless band around his wrist, about seven centimeters wide, but half a centimeter thick. There were no markings, variations or controls of any kind.
“And it doesn’t hurt?” John pressed.
Rodney shook his head. “I can only just feel it with my gene, but it doesn’t feel dangerous. Sheppard, I need you to touch it - carefully - and see if your super-gene can figure out what it wants.”
John took Rodney’s hand in his own, then touched the tip of his left index finger to the metal. “It feels… unfinished,” he said. “Whatever it’s trying to do, it’s working really hard, like some of the pieces to do it aren’t quite right.”
“And what is it trying to do?” Rodney demanded.
“I…” said John. “The weather? That doesn’t make any sense. The Ancients had advanced technology, why would they need a slap bracelet weather app?”
“I’m more interested in whether you can get it off.”
John closed his eyes, then opened them, then put his whole palm over the device. “Um, that’s a no.”
“What?”
The metal warmed slightly under John’s hand, and something began flickering above their heads - a nebulous swirl of what looked like light or smoke.
“Wraith?” asked John, dropping Rodney’s hand to pick up his P90.
The other man consulted his Life Signs Detector. “No, there’s no one here but us. And Teyla and Ronon outside.”
“Then what is that?”
“I-”
They both watched as the flickering resolved into swirls of visible particles, roiling together into… a fluffy cloud?
The cloud floated above Rodney’s head for a moment, still swirling as it slowly turned gray. It rumbled, then began to rain in a neat two-foot radius over him.
Rodney scowled. “Oh, that is just typical.”
*
“Oh, aye, you’re stuck,” said Carson.
Rodney scowled. “That’s your professional medical opinion?”
“Yes, it is. I’ve run every scan and test I can. There’s no way to get it off without opening it in some way, and there doesn’t seem to be any way to get it open. And it’s made of a very durable Ancient metal, so any attempt to cut or melt it off would likely be much more harmful to you.”
“I’ll reserve judgement on that until I’ve examined it myself,” Rodney grumbled.
Above him, the wisps of white clouds that had been floating began converging again.
“So, no luck?” asked John, coming around the infirmary curtain.
Rodney scowled, and the cloud turned gray. “I-” he began, but Carson took his arm, pushing him toward the door.
“No more rain in my infirmary.”
“I’m not the one-”
“C’mon, McKay,” said John, and took his other arm. “We’ll go sit out on the balcony while Radek works on those scans.”
“Outside?” said Rodney. “I can’t-”
The cloud let out a rumble of thunder, and it began to rain.
“Out!” yelled Carson, and Rodney let John pull him from the room.
Normally, Rodney would have complained about being dragged outside, but the sunshine felt good after being soaked by his own personal raincloud. He closed his eyes, leaning against the balcony rail, and felt the rain start to let up.
“Feeling better now, Eeyore?”
Rodney scowled. “No thanks to you, Colonel Tigger.”
“Hey, it wouldn’t have helped anything to stick around raining all over the infirmary.”
“I’m glad you’re amused by this,” Rodney grumbled, and the cloud above his head darkened.
“Hey,” John said again. “I’m not amused, I’m… relieved. When that thing grabbed you, I thought- but it wasn’t. You’re okay.”
“I’m soaking wet!” Rodney protested.
“But you’re alive,” said John. “You’re not hurt or transformed or dead. Radek will figure this out and you’ll be just fine.”
Rodney sighed. “Fine. Fine.” He waved a hand at his cloud, which had turned wispy and pale. “Go ahead and give this cloud a silver lining while I catch my death of pneumonia.”
“It’s the middle of summer,” said John. “And you know how to keep dry - you just need to stop being so gloomy.”
“This isn’t a cartoon, Sheppard!” Rodney cried. “I don’t have a storm above my head because I’m sad, it’s because this-” He shook his wrist, with the Ancient device, between them “-is causing it.”
“Actually…”
Radek was standing in the open doorway, and he came out to join them.
“The city database didn’t have anything on this device,” he continued, “but we were able to access some data from the console unit.”
“And?” Rodney demanded.
“It appears to be another Ascension aid. The person wearing the bracelet would be able to see, and therefore understand, their own emotions.”
“And for that I need to get rained on?”
Radek shrugged. “The idea seemed to be that the person also needed to see how their emotions affected themselves and those around them.”
“But Rodney’s not in any danger, is he?” John asked.
“Oh, no, colonel,” said Radek. “Well, no more than usual. This device was a prototype, and the Ancients did not find it particularly useful, so it was abandoned. That seems to account for the ‘unfinished’ feeling you got from it. But it does work, so there is no danger. It should last for a little over twenty-eight hours, then shut off.”
“That’s great,” said John.
“That’s not great,” Rodney corrected. “I still have to put up with this for twenty-three more hours!”
Radek patted his shoulder. “That sounds like you need a psychology professional, not an engineering professional. I will leave you to it.”
Rodney scowled, causing his cloud to rumble ominously, but Radek just smiled and left.
“That annoying-” Rodney began, but John caught his hand, “Hey.”
“What?” snapped Rodney.
“You know I love you the way you are, right?” John asked, softly. “All the arguing and complaints and insults… you wouldn’t be you otherwise and I like you.”
Rodney managed a smile. “I know,” he said, then sighed. “I can’t change my personality, so I guess I’ll just go see if the botany lab needs to be watered.”
“Or…” said John.
“Or what?”
“Or,” John repeated, “We could take the next twenty-three hours off and find some way to keep your little cloud too happy to rain.”
Rodney frowned. “What?”
“Sex, McKay, I mean sex.”
“Oh. Oh. That does sound better than the botany lab.”
John laughed and kissed him - and the cloud above their heads arced into a perfect rainbow.
THE END
Current Mood:
cold