Day 53, morning, mess hall/science lab, Attn: Dixon, Patel, Kavanagh, other geeks [F]
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Co-written with Garnet in google docs
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Rodney felt better - not much, but considerably better, when he left Elizabeth's office. He was already halfway back to the lab, when he remembered that he still had to apologise to Chef Dixon for the mess he had left in the kitchen.
Of course, he could call Dixon and inform him he'd used the kitchen. But the man had promissed him pancakes, and Rodney didn't want to get on the man's bad side. So he had to swallow the bitter pill and show up in the mess. With a determined expression he hurried to the lab, grabbed the empty thermos and left the lab.
Ian had just finished clearing the breakfast dishes and leftover food when he saw McKay walk into the mess hall, thermos hanging from his hand. When he'd arrived in the kitchens earlier, there had been quite a large mess waiting for him. A rather large coffee mess, and considering that the scientists basically lived on coffee, Ian came to his own conclusions and decided he should bring this to McKay's attention. Which was why he was glad the man came in now.
"McKay!" Ian called out over the counter, and catching the scientist's eyes, waved him over.
Rodney cringed as he heard Dixon calling him. He had a pretty good idea why the man seemed so upset. "Um, good morning, Mr. Dixon," he gave back. "Um, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Doctor McKay," Ian greeted, reaching for the thermos, "Let me get that for you. I wanted to discuss rules about the kitchen with your staff, if you don't mind. I came in this morning, and there was quite a mess left on the counter. I don't mind if your scientists want coffee, but make sure they know to clean up after themselves. I can't be making breakfast for everyone as well as cleaning up messes."
Rodney handed Dixon the thermos. "That's exactly what I wanted to discuss, Mr. Dixon," Rodney said. "It wasn't someone from my staff who made that mess. It was me."
Ian raised his eyebrows, "You? Well, I suppose that explains the amount of coffee taken, I guess," But then Ian frowned, "As much as I appreciate you admitting what happened, if it happens again, I'm sorry, but I'll be taking care of the mess before I begin cooking. If that happens, breakfast may be late."
Rodney put on an apologetic face. "Yes, um, I am very sorry about that. I woke up quite early and was, um, kind of in a hurry," he tried to explain. "But I promise it will not happen again!" He didn't want to imagine what happened if everybody had to skip breakfast just because of him.
"Look," Ian replied, "I don't come into your lab, take what I want then leave it in a mess. I expect the same courtesy to be given to my kitchen."
Ian could see McKay's face begin to frown from the puppy-dog look, "Besides, who would make you pancakes?"
Rodney's expression lit as he mentioned the pancakes. He managed to school his features back into the apologetic expression and lowered his gaze. Under no circumstances he'd risk to upset Dixon that much that he didn't get his pancakes. "I see," he mumbled. "And yes, it would be a shame to miss the pancakes."
"It would be," Ian grinned, handing the filled thermos over to the scientist, "Especially since I found a few bottles of maple syrup that hadn't been broken during the transport."
Rodney's face was an expression of bliss. Hot pancakes, crisp on the outside, fluffy inside with lots of butter and maple syrup. He took the offered thermos. "You realise that this is torture, Mr Dixon?" he asked after he swallowed.
Ian winked at McKay with a grin, "Well I have to keep you scientists on your toes somehow, don't I? You'd be in here all the time raiding my kitchen if it weren't for bribery."
"Oh, please," Rodney said. "You're a bit hard now on us scientists, don't you think?"
"A bit hard?" Ian laughed, "Three square meals a day, plus coffee and tea, along with various morning and afternoon snacks, and you're saying I'm a bit hard on the scientists? I suppose I could add in a three course, silver service dinner?"
Rodney pondered the question for a moment, until he realised that Dixon wasn't serious. "Oh, ha, you had me there for a second," he pointed his finger at the other man.
"Well, have to keep you on your toes, right?" Ian grinned, "You got a meeting today?"
"One?" Rodney asked. "A couple of them." He sighed. "And I have kitchen duty in the afternoon."
Ian handed him a wrapped sandwich and a few muffins, "Here, I can't have my kitchen underlings go hungry now, can I? Besides, something has to entice you back to help in the kitchen after the week of mandatory kp is done."
Rodney gave Dixon a weak grin. "Coffee's a pretty good incentive, you know?"
"Only if the scientists clean up after themselves," Ian chided.
Rodney tipped the top of the thermos. "I, um, will keep that in mind, Mr Dixon."
"Oh call me Ian," he grinned, "Just don't shorten my last name to Dix and we'll get along fine."
Rodney returned the man's grin and took the offered hand. He felt a little awkward, but was pleased at the same time. He didn't make friends easy, and preferred keeping a professional distance. He didn't really know Dixon -- Ian, but the man seemed nice enough and it couldn't hurt to be friends with him. Not just because the man had access to food and coffee. "I'm Rodney," he said with a shy grin as he shook Dixon's hand.
"Nice to meet you," Ian said, noting the shy look Rodney had on his face. He pondered for a moment, wondering what put that there, and decided it was none of his business to know. "I look forward to seeing you here for kitchen duty later on, " Ian lowered his voice, "As much as I enjoy the kids here learning about food, they're not conductive to the actual prep, you know what I mean."
"I know exactly what you mean," Rodney gave back. It was no secret that he didn't like children. Unfortunately they were caught in a situation where he had no way of escaping them. He just had to make do with the situation as it was.
"Well if you don't get going now, that coffee will get cold," Ian pointed to the thermos Rodney was holding.
"Yeah," Rodney nodded. "I also have a staff meeting and I can't risk being late on my own scheduled meeting."
"True, I'll see you later on then Rodney." Ian gave a wave then turned back to clean the dishes left over from breakfast.
"See you later, Ian," Rodney returned the greeting, then grabbed coffee and the snacks and made his way to the lab.
Co-written with Garnet in google docs
***
Rodney felt better - not much, but considerably better, when he left Elizabeth's office. He was already halfway back to the lab, when he remembered that he still had to apologise to Chef Dixon for the mess he had left in the kitchen.
Of course, he could call Dixon and inform him he'd used the kitchen. But the man had promissed him pancakes, and Rodney didn't want to get on the man's bad side. So he had to swallow the bitter pill and show up in the mess. With a determined expression he hurried to the lab, grabbed the empty thermos and left the lab.
Ian had just finished clearing the breakfast dishes and leftover food when he saw McKay walk into the mess hall, thermos hanging from his hand. When he'd arrived in the kitchens earlier, there had been quite a large mess waiting for him. A rather large coffee mess, and considering that the scientists basically lived on coffee, Ian came to his own conclusions and decided he should bring this to McKay's attention. Which was why he was glad the man came in now.
"McKay!" Ian called out over the counter, and catching the scientist's eyes, waved him over.
Rodney cringed as he heard Dixon calling him. He had a pretty good idea why the man seemed so upset. "Um, good morning, Mr. Dixon," he gave back. "Um, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Doctor McKay," Ian greeted, reaching for the thermos, "Let me get that for you. I wanted to discuss rules about the kitchen with your staff, if you don't mind. I came in this morning, and there was quite a mess left on the counter. I don't mind if your scientists want coffee, but make sure they know to clean up after themselves. I can't be making breakfast for everyone as well as cleaning up messes."
Rodney handed Dixon the thermos. "That's exactly what I wanted to discuss, Mr. Dixon," Rodney said. "It wasn't someone from my staff who made that mess. It was me."
Ian raised his eyebrows, "You? Well, I suppose that explains the amount of coffee taken, I guess," But then Ian frowned, "As much as I appreciate you admitting what happened, if it happens again, I'm sorry, but I'll be taking care of the mess before I begin cooking. If that happens, breakfast may be late."
Rodney put on an apologetic face. "Yes, um, I am very sorry about that. I woke up quite early and was, um, kind of in a hurry," he tried to explain. "But I promise it will not happen again!" He didn't want to imagine what happened if everybody had to skip breakfast just because of him.
"Look," Ian replied, "I don't come into your lab, take what I want then leave it in a mess. I expect the same courtesy to be given to my kitchen."
Ian could see McKay's face begin to frown from the puppy-dog look, "Besides, who would make you pancakes?"
Rodney's expression lit as he mentioned the pancakes. He managed to school his features back into the apologetic expression and lowered his gaze. Under no circumstances he'd risk to upset Dixon that much that he didn't get his pancakes. "I see," he mumbled. "And yes, it would be a shame to miss the pancakes."
"It would be," Ian grinned, handing the filled thermos over to the scientist, "Especially since I found a few bottles of maple syrup that hadn't been broken during the transport."
Rodney's face was an expression of bliss. Hot pancakes, crisp on the outside, fluffy inside with lots of butter and maple syrup. He took the offered thermos. "You realise that this is torture, Mr Dixon?" he asked after he swallowed.
Ian winked at McKay with a grin, "Well I have to keep you scientists on your toes somehow, don't I? You'd be in here all the time raiding my kitchen if it weren't for bribery."
"Oh, please," Rodney said. "You're a bit hard now on us scientists, don't you think?"
"A bit hard?" Ian laughed, "Three square meals a day, plus coffee and tea, along with various morning and afternoon snacks, and you're saying I'm a bit hard on the scientists? I suppose I could add in a three course, silver service dinner?"
Rodney pondered the question for a moment, until he realised that Dixon wasn't serious. "Oh, ha, you had me there for a second," he pointed his finger at the other man.
"Well, have to keep you on your toes, right?" Ian grinned, "You got a meeting today?"
"One?" Rodney asked. "A couple of them." He sighed. "And I have kitchen duty in the afternoon."
Ian handed him a wrapped sandwich and a few muffins, "Here, I can't have my kitchen underlings go hungry now, can I? Besides, something has to entice you back to help in the kitchen after the week of mandatory kp is done."
Rodney gave Dixon a weak grin. "Coffee's a pretty good incentive, you know?"
"Only if the scientists clean up after themselves," Ian chided.
Rodney tipped the top of the thermos. "I, um, will keep that in mind, Mr Dixon."
"Oh call me Ian," he grinned, "Just don't shorten my last name to Dix and we'll get along fine."
Rodney returned the man's grin and took the offered hand. He felt a little awkward, but was pleased at the same time. He didn't make friends easy, and preferred keeping a professional distance. He didn't really know Dixon -- Ian, but the man seemed nice enough and it couldn't hurt to be friends with him. Not just because the man had access to food and coffee. "I'm Rodney," he said with a shy grin as he shook Dixon's hand.
"Nice to meet you," Ian said, noting the shy look Rodney had on his face. He pondered for a moment, wondering what put that there, and decided it was none of his business to know. "I look forward to seeing you here for kitchen duty later on, " Ian lowered his voice, "As much as I enjoy the kids here learning about food, they're not conductive to the actual prep, you know what I mean."
"I know exactly what you mean," Rodney gave back. It was no secret that he didn't like children. Unfortunately they were caught in a situation where he had no way of escaping them. He just had to make do with the situation as it was.
"Well if you don't get going now, that coffee will get cold," Ian pointed to the thermos Rodney was holding.
"Yeah," Rodney nodded. "I also have a staff meeting and I can't risk being late on my own scheduled meeting."
"True, I'll see you later on then Rodney." Ian gave a wave then turned back to clean the dishes left over from breakfast.
"See you later, Ian," Rodney returned the greeting, then grabbed coffee and the snacks and made his way to the lab.