Prompt 13 Careless Words
Title: Careless Words
Author: lilachigh
Prompt: No.13 One Minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand.
Viva la Vida by Coldplay
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters: Rodney McKay
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 358
Summary: Rodney has said too much about how he feels....
Careless words
There were still hundreds of places on Atlantis that had never been explored, rooms whose doors remained firmly closed to prying eyes.
Rodney McKay knew of a lot more than anyone else - he supposed it was only to be expected. He was curious about a lot of things and when the rest of his friends were busy doing violent physical exercise of various sorts, he often headed off into the echoing corridors by himself.
Now he crept down, down, down into the very bowels of Atlantis, the lowest place he’d ever ventured to, where even the automatic light system no longer worked. The air smelt dank and metallic and it was very cold. But he didn’t feel it. His whole body was burning with a fever of shame, embarrassment and disbelief. How could he have been so mind-blowingly stupid? He would give everything, anything to take back those words! How could he have imagined a situation, seen signs that obviously didn’t exist, believed that John - John of all men - would like, fancy, love him?
Rodney slid down the metal wall and curled into a ball, forcing the palms of his hands against his eyes, trying to shut out the memory of John’s expression when he’d realised what Rodney was saying to him. Surprise - no make that astonishment - pity - oh God, there’d been pity - no actual revulsion, that was good - but, and this was the worst of all - John’s mouth had quirked, just the once. Rodney knew he’d been trying not to laugh. Yes, the overwhelming emotion had been one of amusement.
He had no idea how long he’d been in the dark but, to his disgust, he realised his stomach was rumbling. Obviously hunger was not troubled by despair. He would have to go back to the upper levels soon and he knew that would take the sort of bravery he didn’t think he possessed. But the last thing he wanted was for them to send out a search party to rescue him.
He heard himself laugh bitterly into the Atlantean dark. How could you possibly be rescued from yourself?
Author: lilachigh
Prompt: No.13 One Minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand.
Viva la Vida by Coldplay
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters: Rodney McKay
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 358
Summary: Rodney has said too much about how he feels....
Careless words
There were still hundreds of places on Atlantis that had never been explored, rooms whose doors remained firmly closed to prying eyes.
Rodney McKay knew of a lot more than anyone else - he supposed it was only to be expected. He was curious about a lot of things and when the rest of his friends were busy doing violent physical exercise of various sorts, he often headed off into the echoing corridors by himself.
Now he crept down, down, down into the very bowels of Atlantis, the lowest place he’d ever ventured to, where even the automatic light system no longer worked. The air smelt dank and metallic and it was very cold. But he didn’t feel it. His whole body was burning with a fever of shame, embarrassment and disbelief. How could he have been so mind-blowingly stupid? He would give everything, anything to take back those words! How could he have imagined a situation, seen signs that obviously didn’t exist, believed that John - John of all men - would like, fancy, love him?
Rodney slid down the metal wall and curled into a ball, forcing the palms of his hands against his eyes, trying to shut out the memory of John’s expression when he’d realised what Rodney was saying to him. Surprise - no make that astonishment - pity - oh God, there’d been pity - no actual revulsion, that was good - but, and this was the worst of all - John’s mouth had quirked, just the once. Rodney knew he’d been trying not to laugh. Yes, the overwhelming emotion had been one of amusement.
He had no idea how long he’d been in the dark but, to his disgust, he realised his stomach was rumbling. Obviously hunger was not troubled by despair. He would have to go back to the upper levels soon and he knew that would take the sort of bravery he didn’t think he possessed. But the last thing he wanted was for them to send out a search party to rescue him.
He heard himself laugh bitterly into the Atlantean dark. How could you possibly be rescued from yourself?