Five Ways John Sheppard Says 'I Love You' Without Actually Saying It ~ SGA (McShep)
Title: Five Ways John Sheppard Says 'I Love You' Without Actually Saying It
Author: icantfollow
Characters: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Prompt: #011 Red.
Word Count: ~1000
Rating: PG
Summary: 'John Sheppard, have you been wooing me?'
A/N: So I've got at least four partially completed fics on my hard drive, not to mention a mess of stuff to write for class, but, instead, here's a McShep valentine fic. A day late, but still good :) Unbetaed.
i. with a card
'Someone left this on my desk this morning.'
John looks up from his chess game with Radek to see a look of utter disgust and bewilderment cross Rodney's face.
He's clutching a hand-made card between his thumb and index finger like it's possibly contaminated, though all John can see are the places where red construction paper hearts have been lovingly glued to the front under the greeting, 'Somebody Loves You'.
John puts Radek in check and doesn't say a word.
Radek is not trying not to laugh. 'It looks as if you have a secret admirer, Rodney.'
'I highly doubt I could respect, let alone like a person who would think that this monstrosity is a good idea!'
'Maybe there's a name on the inside,' John suggests, contemplating his next move while Radek is distracted.
Rodney hmphs, and flips open the flimsy card, his eyes darting back and forth as he reads the message, then reads it again. His eyes go a little bit wide and his cheeks tinge pink.
'Oh,' he says, and Radek makes a rude and suggestive comment that Rodney's not listening to. 'Oh.'
The inside of the card reads, You're a brilliant man, and it's an honor to fight by your side. Happy Valentine's Day.
John says, 'Checkmate.'
ii. with a box of chocolates
'I'm so hungry,' Rodney moans looking up from the ancient device he's spent the last hour trying to fix to play Mozart. 'The mess is closed, isn't it?'
John, sprawled out on his bed with a magazine, reaches into the drawer of his nightstand and pulls out a box, handing it to Rodney.
'Here, this ought to tide you over so you don't go into shock.'
Rodney lifts the lid on the red, heart-shaped box and roots around inside.
'Something one of your floozies sent you in honor of this so-called holiday?' he says around a mouthful of chocolate.
'No,' John replies, picking out a caramel for himself, 'just something I like to keep in case of emergency.'
Rodney's mouth says, 'Emergency chocolate, you are such a girl,' but his eyes say, 'Thank you.'
iii. with a bouquet of flowers
The flowers are large, purple, spiny, and shoot off puffs of a pollen-like substance. Rodney's nose has swelled to twice its size and his entire face has broken out in hives; it's an extremely unattractive look, but John steps in, takes the ill-fated bouquet to the incinerator, and slings an arm around Rodney's shoulders, half-dragging him to the infirmary, making small talk along the way.
'A gift from Katie?' John asks.
'I don't think Major Lorne would like that very much,' Rodney mumbles through swollen lips. 'From one of her minions, if you can believe that.'
'It's the thought that counts, right?'
'So the fact that Parsons sent me a bouquet of death should count in her favor? Why aren't you more upset about this?'
'Don't take it out on her. She probably didn't know you'd have such a bad reaction.'
'She's a botanist,' Rodney wheezes, 'how could she not know? What did you do with that evil thing anyway?'
John balances against Rodney's weight, just picturing the look on the nursing staff when their least favorite patient arrives for what is bound to be a long stay.
'Burned it.'
Rodney's sigh turns into a whimper of pain and John tightens his hold.
iv. with a hug
John doesn't hug - occasionally he'll do that manly backslap thing, or on rare occasions of real emotions the chest-contact-double-fist-pound, but he doesn't do hugs. He's not great with the physical contact period, and a hug is the most wishy-washy of all. You know where you stand with kissing, with sex even, but a hug is such awkward territory.
So John doesn't hug. He's been hugged, and generally doesn't know what to do with his hands.
But, well, Rodney's a little out of it, stuffed full of antihistamines and he looks so small and forlorn, like a teddy bear, and John's about ready to kick himself because when did he start having thoughts like that?
He leans over the hospital bed and puts his arms around Rodney before he has a chance to change his mind, muffling the other man's squawk of surprise with his chest.
'Feel better,' John says and pulls away.
Rodney blinks. 'You hugged me. You don't hug.'
'Well, I hugged you.' John's trying not to smile because the look on Rodney's face is just so comical.
'Thanks.' And Rodney's goofy smile - the one John knows is not entirely the result of drugs - makes John's heart beat faster.
v. with a kiss
Rodney's released from the infirmary a lot sooner than anyone expects - due, John suspects, to the efforts of the nurses to be rid of him - in time to join the others for Elizabeth's Valentine's Day Dinner, one of her numerous attempts to promote city-wide harmony.
Rodney, however, is not feeling the love. The others get tired of his bitching and his whining, and sneak off for their own private celebrations.
'I've already been viciously attacked once today,' he tells John, scowling at his bowl of red Jello. 'Why should I enjoy it?'
John's had enough. 'Oh, for crying out loud, Rodney, I've been doing my best.'
Rodney's spoon clatters on the table. 'John Sheppard, have you been wooing me?'
'Well, I've been trying. I had to be subtle.'
'So subtle I didn't even notice? This is me we're talking about, Sheppard, you have to hit me over the head with these sorts of things.'
'So you would have preferred a 60ft neon sign?'
Rodney crosses his arms and his face is flushed. 'That's not what I mean. Honestly, why can't you just tell me how you feel? Why do you have to result to subterfuge? The first time we ever kissed you practically attacked me in the field instead of just saying, "Hey, Rodney, I like you quite a lot and would very much like to kiss you now - hope you don't mind."'
'I'm not good with words,' John points out, taking Rodney's hands and stealing his Jello. 'I'm an action man.'
'Well, you've already won me over, Action Man,' Rodney says, shaking his head. 'I love you, too.'
John leans across the table for a kiss - and that says everything there is to say.
Author: icantfollow
Characters: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Prompt: #011 Red.
Word Count: ~1000
Rating: PG
Summary: 'John Sheppard, have you been wooing me?'
A/N: So I've got at least four partially completed fics on my hard drive, not to mention a mess of stuff to write for class, but, instead, here's a McShep valentine fic. A day late, but still good :) Unbetaed.
i. with a card
'Someone left this on my desk this morning.'
John looks up from his chess game with Radek to see a look of utter disgust and bewilderment cross Rodney's face.
He's clutching a hand-made card between his thumb and index finger like it's possibly contaminated, though all John can see are the places where red construction paper hearts have been lovingly glued to the front under the greeting, 'Somebody Loves You'.
John puts Radek in check and doesn't say a word.
Radek is not trying not to laugh. 'It looks as if you have a secret admirer, Rodney.'
'I highly doubt I could respect, let alone like a person who would think that this monstrosity is a good idea!'
'Maybe there's a name on the inside,' John suggests, contemplating his next move while Radek is distracted.
Rodney hmphs, and flips open the flimsy card, his eyes darting back and forth as he reads the message, then reads it again. His eyes go a little bit wide and his cheeks tinge pink.
'Oh,' he says, and Radek makes a rude and suggestive comment that Rodney's not listening to. 'Oh.'
The inside of the card reads, You're a brilliant man, and it's an honor to fight by your side. Happy Valentine's Day.
John says, 'Checkmate.'
ii. with a box of chocolates
'I'm so hungry,' Rodney moans looking up from the ancient device he's spent the last hour trying to fix to play Mozart. 'The mess is closed, isn't it?'
John, sprawled out on his bed with a magazine, reaches into the drawer of his nightstand and pulls out a box, handing it to Rodney.
'Here, this ought to tide you over so you don't go into shock.'
Rodney lifts the lid on the red, heart-shaped box and roots around inside.
'Something one of your floozies sent you in honor of this so-called holiday?' he says around a mouthful of chocolate.
'No,' John replies, picking out a caramel for himself, 'just something I like to keep in case of emergency.'
Rodney's mouth says, 'Emergency chocolate, you are such a girl,' but his eyes say, 'Thank you.'
iii. with a bouquet of flowers
The flowers are large, purple, spiny, and shoot off puffs of a pollen-like substance. Rodney's nose has swelled to twice its size and his entire face has broken out in hives; it's an extremely unattractive look, but John steps in, takes the ill-fated bouquet to the incinerator, and slings an arm around Rodney's shoulders, half-dragging him to the infirmary, making small talk along the way.
'A gift from Katie?' John asks.
'I don't think Major Lorne would like that very much,' Rodney mumbles through swollen lips. 'From one of her minions, if you can believe that.'
'It's the thought that counts, right?'
'So the fact that Parsons sent me a bouquet of death should count in her favor? Why aren't you more upset about this?'
'Don't take it out on her. She probably didn't know you'd have such a bad reaction.'
'She's a botanist,' Rodney wheezes, 'how could she not know? What did you do with that evil thing anyway?'
John balances against Rodney's weight, just picturing the look on the nursing staff when their least favorite patient arrives for what is bound to be a long stay.
'Burned it.'
Rodney's sigh turns into a whimper of pain and John tightens his hold.
iv. with a hug
John doesn't hug - occasionally he'll do that manly backslap thing, or on rare occasions of real emotions the chest-contact-double-fist-pound, but he doesn't do hugs. He's not great with the physical contact period, and a hug is the most wishy-washy of all. You know where you stand with kissing, with sex even, but a hug is such awkward territory.
So John doesn't hug. He's been hugged, and generally doesn't know what to do with his hands.
But, well, Rodney's a little out of it, stuffed full of antihistamines and he looks so small and forlorn, like a teddy bear, and John's about ready to kick himself because when did he start having thoughts like that?
He leans over the hospital bed and puts his arms around Rodney before he has a chance to change his mind, muffling the other man's squawk of surprise with his chest.
'Feel better,' John says and pulls away.
Rodney blinks. 'You hugged me. You don't hug.'
'Well, I hugged you.' John's trying not to smile because the look on Rodney's face is just so comical.
'Thanks.' And Rodney's goofy smile - the one John knows is not entirely the result of drugs - makes John's heart beat faster.
v. with a kiss
Rodney's released from the infirmary a lot sooner than anyone expects - due, John suspects, to the efforts of the nurses to be rid of him - in time to join the others for Elizabeth's Valentine's Day Dinner, one of her numerous attempts to promote city-wide harmony.
Rodney, however, is not feeling the love. The others get tired of his bitching and his whining, and sneak off for their own private celebrations.
'I've already been viciously attacked once today,' he tells John, scowling at his bowl of red Jello. 'Why should I enjoy it?'
John's had enough. 'Oh, for crying out loud, Rodney, I've been doing my best.'
Rodney's spoon clatters on the table. 'John Sheppard, have you been wooing me?'
'Well, I've been trying. I had to be subtle.'
'So subtle I didn't even notice? This is me we're talking about, Sheppard, you have to hit me over the head with these sorts of things.'
'So you would have preferred a 60ft neon sign?'
Rodney crosses his arms and his face is flushed. 'That's not what I mean. Honestly, why can't you just tell me how you feel? Why do you have to result to subterfuge? The first time we ever kissed you practically attacked me in the field instead of just saying, "Hey, Rodney, I like you quite a lot and would very much like to kiss you now - hope you don't mind."'
'I'm not good with words,' John points out, taking Rodney's hands and stealing his Jello. 'I'm an action man.'
'Well, you've already won me over, Action Man,' Rodney says, shaking his head. 'I love you, too.'
John leans across the table for a kiss - and that says everything there is to say.