[Stargate: Atlantis] Kindred Spirits
Title: Kindred Spirits
Genre: General
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Hide and Seek
Summary: "It is not a medical condition." Radek counters, although perhaps it really is, if looked at in the right light. "And I am not suffering from any mental condition other than those you have caused."
Notes: For owleyes_arisen who wanted Vamp!Radek. (I...tried? *flees*)
He likes to think he is a reasonable man, a sensible man. A patient man.
"You...are you serious?"
Sighing, Radek pulls his glasses off and pinches the bridge of his nose, because this...this is going to be a very, very long day. One that will most certainly tax his not inconsiderable patience.
"No, really. Have you gone insane?"
"Yes?" He tries, just to see the expression on Rodney's face. "Perhaps it is you and your constant yelling and arguing and need to - "
"I do not - "
"You see?" Radek says, smiling slightly as he slips his glasses on. "Even now, you do nothing but argue. And yell."
"But...seriously." Rodney says, lost and a little confused and trying so very hard to bluster his way through all of it. "Are you sure it's not just some kind of medical condition? What's that one, the one they think the legends are based on? Porphyria?"
"It is not a medical condition." Radek counters, although perhaps it really is, if looked at in the right light. "And I am not suffering from any mental condition other than those you have caused."
And...yes. Perhaps that would have been another secret that did not need to be revealed.
Radek sighs and looks up at Rodney curiously. The man is staring at him, but has not had the presence of mind to move away. Radek considers the possibility that he does not think there is a need to. "Would you prefer it if it was a medical condition, now that we are alone out here and our supplies are limited? Or a mental condition, now that we are alone out here and - "
"Okay, please stop." Rodney tells him, making a face. "If you're going to get into extremely bad horror movie clichés where an intrepid group of explorers is slowly having their numbers whittled down by the lone madman intent on their destruction, I'm going to get up and walk out and never, ever talk to you again." Rodney pauses and looks around at the room they have found themselves trapped in. "If we ever manage to find a way out, I mean."
Radek smiles in spite of himself. "So you believe me then?"
It is not so much that he believes it is so as it is he wishes very much to see a certain expression on Rodney's face. One that he has seen again and again the longer they are in Atlantis, Pegasus, and encounter more and more of the truly unbelievable and bizarre.
"I'd ask for proof, but given...everything you've told me and our current situation, I think I'd rather not." Sighing, Rodney tips his head to rest against the wall at their backs. "And...well, given what we've actually found out here? Somehow I'm not all that surprised. Although I'm beginning to think my life is based on a horror movie, the way things have been going."
Radek's eyebrows go up at that, and he gives Rodney a questioning look, one that is met with a mix of disgust and weariness.
"You have noticed what's been going, on around here, right?" Rodney says, waving a hand around at the very small, very dark room they are trapped in far from help. "Ignoring our current problems, there was the energy sucking entity that tried to eat Ford, the never-ending annoyance of the Wraith, and...and... God, I actually think I'm forgetting something."
"M1H-094?" Radek offers, smirking at the memory. "The planet with -"
"Oh, god, don't remind me," Rodney groans, dropping his head into his hand. "That was just something I never needed to see, know, or even think about."
"Really?" Radek asks. "I believe the anthropologists found it most fascinating, and -"
"Okay, look." Rodney interrupts, turning to glare at him. "I can put up with energy sucking entities. I can even put up with the Wraith, creepy and completely terrifying as they are. I can put up with you and that whole 'I vant to svck vour blvood!' thing you have going on." Rodney's eyes narrow at the look Radek gives him for that last bit. "What I can't put up with is you and everyone else in the damn city constantly reminding me of the hellish nightmare that was the mission to M1H-094. If you or anyone else in the city keeps talking about you will all find out what the true meaning of hell is, do you understand me?"
Radek stares at him for a long, long moment, torn between laughter and something resembling actual alarm.
There is no one else in all of Atlantis that knows the city and its technology better than Rodney McKay. There is no one better suited to waging a one-man war against hundreds with such knowledge, and there is no one as outright vicious and vindictive when sufficiently provoked.
"You are a very unpleasant man to be around, you know this?"
Rodney smirks, satisfied that he's managed to get his point across. "Keep that in mind the next time you think it's funny to taunt the man who can turn Atlantis against you."
He doesn't say that he is quite possibly the only one who would stand a chance of stopping Rodney, because he isn't entirely certain that's true. He could slow him down, delay him, perhaps, but stop him completely?
"Exactly." Rodney says, smug and entirely far too pleased with himself and his petty ways.
"I only thought it fair that you should know, in case I lose control and find you tasty beyond reason." Radek tells him, smiling a little, fangs showing. "I would hate for it to have come as a surprise."
Rodney stares at him, and for this one moment, Radek cannot tell what he is thinking.
And then Rodney snorts and shakes his head, disdain for Radek and his pitiful attempts at dramatic posing clear. "Once again, as I have told a great many things and people since arriving in this godforsaken galaxy, I would taste terrible. And as everyone knows, if someone is going to be eaten, sacrificed, or outright killed it'll probably be 'unknown expedition member number three'."
"Your arrogance astounds even me." Radek mutters, getting to his feet to help. "And I do not mean it as a compliment."
Rodney scowls at him and points at the access panel they have worked on for hours on end already to no avail. "Shut up and get to work. I have an idea."
Radek bites back an annoyed response and does as he is told, some part of him surprised that it has been this easy, this simple. Some secrets are meant to remain so, are better left alone, and he has always been told that this was one of them.
"Oh, for god's sake," Rodney growls, shoving Radek's toolkit at him. ""Stop being an idiot and help me save our lives, will you?"
Radek has nothing to say to that, so he sets to work, smiling in realization when Rodney tells him of his idea that Radek knows will work.
They manage to free themselves from the room a few hours later with the aid of Major Sheppard and his men along with some creative and somewhat frantic re-wiring on their parts. There was also a welding torch involved, but that wasn't until much, much later.
Radek is surprised to find that he is not regarded with suspicions and fear and the occasional clove of garlic, which he has always found to be quite tasty when roasted and served with the proper sort of bread.
The problems with myths and legends he has found, is that so much actual fact is lost over time until all that remains has been bent and twisted almost beyond recognition.
He doesn't find out the reason why until much, much, much later. By then the welding torch has been put away and the vaguely controlled chaos involved in search and rescue efforts have been cleared away and taken care of. He is amused to discover that he is only mildly surprised that Rodney has apparently chosen not to tell anyone of his secret.
He also doesn't see Rodney for the next two weeks because the stupid bastard and his team go on mission after mission after mission and is never in the labs or anywhere he should be. It is on the third mission that they go missing for five days straight, leaving Atlantis and everyone in the city tired and worried and frightened for friends and co-workers and teammates.
Radek and the science team work through the night over and over again trying to find traces of where they might have gone, who could have taken them and how and why and where, and through it all he thinks only this:
This is why he and his do not get involved, entangled, with the lives of those who are like guttering candles. They are so much more, so far from them, and yet can never truly stay away where is it safe.
Those kinds of thoughts do not help, do nothing but hinder, so Radek sets them aside along with so many of the Old Ways, and focuses on the problem at hand, pushing himself and the science team to find the answers they need.
So it is almost more of an annoyance than a relief when the alarms go off in the middle of the night of the sixth day, to find Rodney and his team, tired and dirty and sore walking through the stargate as though they have no idea the worry they have caused.
They bring with them tales of high adventure and thrilling heroics and amazing feats of intense stupidity because there is Major Sheppard and Lieutenant Ford and of course, as always, there is Rodney McKay.
Teyla stands apart even then, quiet and amused by the antics of her teammates. She allows them to spin their stories while she saves the real one for the debriefing that will take place later, after they have all had a chance to rest and recover and appreciate the things that they have not lost.
Two days after the miraculous return of Rodney and his team, Radek manages to track him down to the set of labs near one of the piers he has claimed as his own.
No one asks what Rodney works on in those labs, because no one truly wants to know.
He isn't surprised to see Major Sheppard there, napping on the Ancient couch half-hidden in a dark corner, because it has been a long two weeks for everyone.
"Rodney."
Rodney is busy with something on his laptop, but looks up when Radek calls his name, frowning and irritable. "What? Shouldn't you be working on that ridiculously stupid project Simpson cooked up?"
Radek rolls his eyes, not because it is so very typical of Rodney to belittle the various 'idiotic suggestions' from the members of his team...and then sign off on said suggestions, complaining the whole time.
"We are waiting for the weather on the mainland to clear up before we do anything else." Radek answers, eyebrows going up when he sees that Rodney has been hard at work on -
"Solitaire?"
Rodney glares and slides the laptop over where Radek can no longer see the screen. "Carson won't let me work on any of my projects or do anything that could in any way contribute meaningfully to the pathetic progress we've managed to make in understanding the city and the related technology."
Radek smiles, and does not look over to where Sheppard is sleeping.
"And also," Rodney mutters, glaring at the sleeping man. "I'm supposed to keep an eye on the idiot to make sure he doesn't accidentally kill himself in his sleep or something."
"I heard that, McKay." Sheppard mumbles, and Radek glances back to see him sitting up watching the two of them, the shadows under his eyes noticeable even in the dim light.
"Well, obviously," Rodney says, rolling his eyes. "That was the intent behind it."
Sheppard glares and Rodney smirks, and Radek almost forgets the reason why he tracked Rodney down to his lab in the first place.
"You are a moron." He says, frowning at Rodney. "I told you because I realized that it could be a very real threat to everyone in the expedition, but you did nothing! Told no one, and then you go and manage to get stolen along with the rest of your team by unbearably stupid space pirates! Space pirates!" He yells again, because it is something that he feels deserves emphasis.
Rodney...stares at him, eyes wide.
Sheppard...laughs.
And laughs and laughs and laughs until Radek turns to point at him, still so, so indescribably angry and frustrated at the utter stupidity of two of the most highly regarded men in the city. Two of the men that, when it comes down to it, the expedition relies on far too much. Two people that he relies on far too much.
"Both of you are morons! Stupid, stupid men who do not understand what sort of danger I could - "
"Is there a problem here, gentlemen?"
All three of them turn to see Elizabeth standing in the open door of the lab, eyebrow raised and looking very, very amused beneath the serious expression on her face.
Radek's mouth snaps shut and he steps back, away from the door and closer to the shadows clinging to the back of the lab. "Dr. Weir, I was merely - "
"He was being an idiot." Rodney says sourly, giving him an unimpressed look. "Not that I'm all that surprised, as he's been exhibiting unusual behavior for some time, but "
"Rodney."
Radek will never stop being amazed at the simple way she is able to silence Rodney, with a single word, a certain inflection and of course, the look. She is one of the very few people capable of such a thing, and as always, that is a skill to be admired.
"You're not being very fair, you know." Sheppard says, coming up to stand next to Rodney, offering Radek an apologetic smile. "I mean...he does have a point."
Rodney whirls to face Sheppard, hands flying as he splutters accusations and protests and other things that mean he doesn't truly believe Radek is a threat to anyone in the expedition and Sheppard is small-minded imbecile if he thinks otherwise. Radek sighs and looks away while Sheppard smiles, cocks his head to the side and humors him.
A soft cough makes him look up to see Elizabeth watching him, smiling gently. "I thought you trusted Rodney?" She asks, and could not have said something that would have surprised him more had she tried.
"Of course I do," he says automatically, because he does. For all his faults, Rodney is a strangely trustworthy man.
"Then why - "
"I thought it was fine, that I could control it until we were trapped in that room together and I...I came closer than I would like to remember." Radek tells her, softly, quietly. "I realized then that should something similar happen again, should things turn out differently..."
"Oh, please." Rodney cuts in, voice sharp. "You've managed this long without drawing unwanted attention to yourself, I hardly think you're about to lose control now of all times."
Radek frowns. "How do you know that? I do not know that."
Rodney shares a look with Sheppard and shakes his head, washing his hands of the entire situation.
Sheppard makes a frustrated sound and glares at Rodney, who simply glares back.
"Dr. Zelenka, Radek," Elizabeth says. "I think you're the one that doesn't understand in this instance." She smiles as Rodney and Sheppard continue trading dark looks and pointed looks and frustrated looks. "The fact of the matter is that the three of us did indeed discuss what you told Rodney and saw no point in anything further."
Radek blinks at that, because he never knew, had never been told. Looking over at Rodney, he blinks again at the venomous look he's getting.
"I told you you were being stupid." Rodney says, and turns back to his laptop and the paused game of solitaire.
Elizabeth and Sheppard smile, and he...he is not sure what to make of this. It is too simple, too -
"You've done nothing to indicate that you intend any of us ill will, and I agree with Rodney and John in that you are a person of great integrity and trustworthiness. What else is there?"
"Listen to her," Sheppard says, and Radek can hear the smile in his voice. "She makes a compelling argument."
"I...yes." Radek stammers, still not -
"We're facing countless hordes of space vampires on an alarmingly regular basis," Rodney pipes up. "I hardly think one tiny little Earth vampire is going to cause that big of a stir, even if we did announce it to the entire city."
"I - "
"Oh, my god, would you just stop already?" Rodney snaps, pushing past Sheppard to glare at Radek. "I don't have a problem with this. They don't have a problem with this," he says, pointing at Elizabeth and Sheppard, who both look amused. "The only one with a problem is you, and considering the topic in question, you don't get to have a problem with this!"
"We're alone out here." Elizabeth says, giving Rodney a look effectively silencing him. "We're alone out here and the only people we can rely on for survival is each other. Everyone who decided to come to Atlantis did so for the same reason. We're far more alike than you might think."
Radek stares at her, hardly daring to believe what he's hearing because it goes against everything he has ever learned, been taught. Everything he has ever known, and yet...he finds that he believes it, that he trusts in it. In them, despite all reason.
Elizabeth sees his answer in his silence and smiles, knowing she has won. Rodney and Sheppard are smirking and Radek feels an overwhelming desire to smack their heads together, if only to wipe the smug expression from their faces.
"You see?" Elizabeth asks, eyes twinkling, and Radek knows she is thinking the exact same thing he is. "We really are more alike than you might think."
Genre: General
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Hide and Seek
Summary: "It is not a medical condition." Radek counters, although perhaps it really is, if looked at in the right light. "And I am not suffering from any mental condition other than those you have caused."
Notes: For owleyes_arisen who wanted Vamp!Radek. (I...tried? *flees*)
He likes to think he is a reasonable man, a sensible man. A patient man.
"You...are you serious?"
Sighing, Radek pulls his glasses off and pinches the bridge of his nose, because this...this is going to be a very, very long day. One that will most certainly tax his not inconsiderable patience.
"No, really. Have you gone insane?"
"Yes?" He tries, just to see the expression on Rodney's face. "Perhaps it is you and your constant yelling and arguing and need to - "
"I do not - "
"You see?" Radek says, smiling slightly as he slips his glasses on. "Even now, you do nothing but argue. And yell."
"But...seriously." Rodney says, lost and a little confused and trying so very hard to bluster his way through all of it. "Are you sure it's not just some kind of medical condition? What's that one, the one they think the legends are based on? Porphyria?"
"It is not a medical condition." Radek counters, although perhaps it really is, if looked at in the right light. "And I am not suffering from any mental condition other than those you have caused."
And...yes. Perhaps that would have been another secret that did not need to be revealed.
Radek sighs and looks up at Rodney curiously. The man is staring at him, but has not had the presence of mind to move away. Radek considers the possibility that he does not think there is a need to. "Would you prefer it if it was a medical condition, now that we are alone out here and our supplies are limited? Or a mental condition, now that we are alone out here and - "
"Okay, please stop." Rodney tells him, making a face. "If you're going to get into extremely bad horror movie clichés where an intrepid group of explorers is slowly having their numbers whittled down by the lone madman intent on their destruction, I'm going to get up and walk out and never, ever talk to you again." Rodney pauses and looks around at the room they have found themselves trapped in. "If we ever manage to find a way out, I mean."
Radek smiles in spite of himself. "So you believe me then?"
It is not so much that he believes it is so as it is he wishes very much to see a certain expression on Rodney's face. One that he has seen again and again the longer they are in Atlantis, Pegasus, and encounter more and more of the truly unbelievable and bizarre.
"I'd ask for proof, but given...everything you've told me and our current situation, I think I'd rather not." Sighing, Rodney tips his head to rest against the wall at their backs. "And...well, given what we've actually found out here? Somehow I'm not all that surprised. Although I'm beginning to think my life is based on a horror movie, the way things have been going."
Radek's eyebrows go up at that, and he gives Rodney a questioning look, one that is met with a mix of disgust and weariness.
"You have noticed what's been going, on around here, right?" Rodney says, waving a hand around at the very small, very dark room they are trapped in far from help. "Ignoring our current problems, there was the energy sucking entity that tried to eat Ford, the never-ending annoyance of the Wraith, and...and... God, I actually think I'm forgetting something."
"M1H-094?" Radek offers, smirking at the memory. "The planet with -"
"Oh, god, don't remind me," Rodney groans, dropping his head into his hand. "That was just something I never needed to see, know, or even think about."
"Really?" Radek asks. "I believe the anthropologists found it most fascinating, and -"
"Okay, look." Rodney interrupts, turning to glare at him. "I can put up with energy sucking entities. I can even put up with the Wraith, creepy and completely terrifying as they are. I can put up with you and that whole 'I vant to svck vour blvood!' thing you have going on." Rodney's eyes narrow at the look Radek gives him for that last bit. "What I can't put up with is you and everyone else in the damn city constantly reminding me of the hellish nightmare that was the mission to M1H-094. If you or anyone else in the city keeps talking about you will all find out what the true meaning of hell is, do you understand me?"
Radek stares at him for a long, long moment, torn between laughter and something resembling actual alarm.
There is no one else in all of Atlantis that knows the city and its technology better than Rodney McKay. There is no one better suited to waging a one-man war against hundreds with such knowledge, and there is no one as outright vicious and vindictive when sufficiently provoked.
"You are a very unpleasant man to be around, you know this?"
Rodney smirks, satisfied that he's managed to get his point across. "Keep that in mind the next time you think it's funny to taunt the man who can turn Atlantis against you."
He doesn't say that he is quite possibly the only one who would stand a chance of stopping Rodney, because he isn't entirely certain that's true. He could slow him down, delay him, perhaps, but stop him completely?
"Exactly." Rodney says, smug and entirely far too pleased with himself and his petty ways.
"I only thought it fair that you should know, in case I lose control and find you tasty beyond reason." Radek tells him, smiling a little, fangs showing. "I would hate for it to have come as a surprise."
Rodney stares at him, and for this one moment, Radek cannot tell what he is thinking.
And then Rodney snorts and shakes his head, disdain for Radek and his pitiful attempts at dramatic posing clear. "Once again, as I have told a great many things and people since arriving in this godforsaken galaxy, I would taste terrible. And as everyone knows, if someone is going to be eaten, sacrificed, or outright killed it'll probably be 'unknown expedition member number three'."
"Your arrogance astounds even me." Radek mutters, getting to his feet to help. "And I do not mean it as a compliment."
Rodney scowls at him and points at the access panel they have worked on for hours on end already to no avail. "Shut up and get to work. I have an idea."
Radek bites back an annoyed response and does as he is told, some part of him surprised that it has been this easy, this simple. Some secrets are meant to remain so, are better left alone, and he has always been told that this was one of them.
"Oh, for god's sake," Rodney growls, shoving Radek's toolkit at him. ""Stop being an idiot and help me save our lives, will you?"
Radek has nothing to say to that, so he sets to work, smiling in realization when Rodney tells him of his idea that Radek knows will work.
They manage to free themselves from the room a few hours later with the aid of Major Sheppard and his men along with some creative and somewhat frantic re-wiring on their parts. There was also a welding torch involved, but that wasn't until much, much later.
Radek is surprised to find that he is not regarded with suspicions and fear and the occasional clove of garlic, which he has always found to be quite tasty when roasted and served with the proper sort of bread.
The problems with myths and legends he has found, is that so much actual fact is lost over time until all that remains has been bent and twisted almost beyond recognition.
He doesn't find out the reason why until much, much, much later. By then the welding torch has been put away and the vaguely controlled chaos involved in search and rescue efforts have been cleared away and taken care of. He is amused to discover that he is only mildly surprised that Rodney has apparently chosen not to tell anyone of his secret.
He also doesn't see Rodney for the next two weeks because the stupid bastard and his team go on mission after mission after mission and is never in the labs or anywhere he should be. It is on the third mission that they go missing for five days straight, leaving Atlantis and everyone in the city tired and worried and frightened for friends and co-workers and teammates.
Radek and the science team work through the night over and over again trying to find traces of where they might have gone, who could have taken them and how and why and where, and through it all he thinks only this:
This is why he and his do not get involved, entangled, with the lives of those who are like guttering candles. They are so much more, so far from them, and yet can never truly stay away where is it safe.
Those kinds of thoughts do not help, do nothing but hinder, so Radek sets them aside along with so many of the Old Ways, and focuses on the problem at hand, pushing himself and the science team to find the answers they need.
So it is almost more of an annoyance than a relief when the alarms go off in the middle of the night of the sixth day, to find Rodney and his team, tired and dirty and sore walking through the stargate as though they have no idea the worry they have caused.
They bring with them tales of high adventure and thrilling heroics and amazing feats of intense stupidity because there is Major Sheppard and Lieutenant Ford and of course, as always, there is Rodney McKay.
Teyla stands apart even then, quiet and amused by the antics of her teammates. She allows them to spin their stories while she saves the real one for the debriefing that will take place later, after they have all had a chance to rest and recover and appreciate the things that they have not lost.
Two days after the miraculous return of Rodney and his team, Radek manages to track him down to the set of labs near one of the piers he has claimed as his own.
No one asks what Rodney works on in those labs, because no one truly wants to know.
He isn't surprised to see Major Sheppard there, napping on the Ancient couch half-hidden in a dark corner, because it has been a long two weeks for everyone.
"Rodney."
Rodney is busy with something on his laptop, but looks up when Radek calls his name, frowning and irritable. "What? Shouldn't you be working on that ridiculously stupid project Simpson cooked up?"
Radek rolls his eyes, not because it is so very typical of Rodney to belittle the various 'idiotic suggestions' from the members of his team...and then sign off on said suggestions, complaining the whole time.
"We are waiting for the weather on the mainland to clear up before we do anything else." Radek answers, eyebrows going up when he sees that Rodney has been hard at work on -
"Solitaire?"
Rodney glares and slides the laptop over where Radek can no longer see the screen. "Carson won't let me work on any of my projects or do anything that could in any way contribute meaningfully to the pathetic progress we've managed to make in understanding the city and the related technology."
Radek smiles, and does not look over to where Sheppard is sleeping.
"And also," Rodney mutters, glaring at the sleeping man. "I'm supposed to keep an eye on the idiot to make sure he doesn't accidentally kill himself in his sleep or something."
"I heard that, McKay." Sheppard mumbles, and Radek glances back to see him sitting up watching the two of them, the shadows under his eyes noticeable even in the dim light.
"Well, obviously," Rodney says, rolling his eyes. "That was the intent behind it."
Sheppard glares and Rodney smirks, and Radek almost forgets the reason why he tracked Rodney down to his lab in the first place.
"You are a moron." He says, frowning at Rodney. "I told you because I realized that it could be a very real threat to everyone in the expedition, but you did nothing! Told no one, and then you go and manage to get stolen along with the rest of your team by unbearably stupid space pirates! Space pirates!" He yells again, because it is something that he feels deserves emphasis.
Rodney...stares at him, eyes wide.
Sheppard...laughs.
And laughs and laughs and laughs until Radek turns to point at him, still so, so indescribably angry and frustrated at the utter stupidity of two of the most highly regarded men in the city. Two of the men that, when it comes down to it, the expedition relies on far too much. Two people that he relies on far too much.
"Both of you are morons! Stupid, stupid men who do not understand what sort of danger I could - "
"Is there a problem here, gentlemen?"
All three of them turn to see Elizabeth standing in the open door of the lab, eyebrow raised and looking very, very amused beneath the serious expression on her face.
Radek's mouth snaps shut and he steps back, away from the door and closer to the shadows clinging to the back of the lab. "Dr. Weir, I was merely - "
"He was being an idiot." Rodney says sourly, giving him an unimpressed look. "Not that I'm all that surprised, as he's been exhibiting unusual behavior for some time, but "
"Rodney."
Radek will never stop being amazed at the simple way she is able to silence Rodney, with a single word, a certain inflection and of course, the look. She is one of the very few people capable of such a thing, and as always, that is a skill to be admired.
"You're not being very fair, you know." Sheppard says, coming up to stand next to Rodney, offering Radek an apologetic smile. "I mean...he does have a point."
Rodney whirls to face Sheppard, hands flying as he splutters accusations and protests and other things that mean he doesn't truly believe Radek is a threat to anyone in the expedition and Sheppard is small-minded imbecile if he thinks otherwise. Radek sighs and looks away while Sheppard smiles, cocks his head to the side and humors him.
A soft cough makes him look up to see Elizabeth watching him, smiling gently. "I thought you trusted Rodney?" She asks, and could not have said something that would have surprised him more had she tried.
"Of course I do," he says automatically, because he does. For all his faults, Rodney is a strangely trustworthy man.
"Then why - "
"I thought it was fine, that I could control it until we were trapped in that room together and I...I came closer than I would like to remember." Radek tells her, softly, quietly. "I realized then that should something similar happen again, should things turn out differently..."
"Oh, please." Rodney cuts in, voice sharp. "You've managed this long without drawing unwanted attention to yourself, I hardly think you're about to lose control now of all times."
Radek frowns. "How do you know that? I do not know that."
Rodney shares a look with Sheppard and shakes his head, washing his hands of the entire situation.
Sheppard makes a frustrated sound and glares at Rodney, who simply glares back.
"Dr. Zelenka, Radek," Elizabeth says. "I think you're the one that doesn't understand in this instance." She smiles as Rodney and Sheppard continue trading dark looks and pointed looks and frustrated looks. "The fact of the matter is that the three of us did indeed discuss what you told Rodney and saw no point in anything further."
Radek blinks at that, because he never knew, had never been told. Looking over at Rodney, he blinks again at the venomous look he's getting.
"I told you you were being stupid." Rodney says, and turns back to his laptop and the paused game of solitaire.
Elizabeth and Sheppard smile, and he...he is not sure what to make of this. It is too simple, too -
"You've done nothing to indicate that you intend any of us ill will, and I agree with Rodney and John in that you are a person of great integrity and trustworthiness. What else is there?"
"Listen to her," Sheppard says, and Radek can hear the smile in his voice. "She makes a compelling argument."
"I...yes." Radek stammers, still not -
"We're facing countless hordes of space vampires on an alarmingly regular basis," Rodney pipes up. "I hardly think one tiny little Earth vampire is going to cause that big of a stir, even if we did announce it to the entire city."
"I - "
"Oh, my god, would you just stop already?" Rodney snaps, pushing past Sheppard to glare at Radek. "I don't have a problem with this. They don't have a problem with this," he says, pointing at Elizabeth and Sheppard, who both look amused. "The only one with a problem is you, and considering the topic in question, you don't get to have a problem with this!"
"We're alone out here." Elizabeth says, giving Rodney a look effectively silencing him. "We're alone out here and the only people we can rely on for survival is each other. Everyone who decided to come to Atlantis did so for the same reason. We're far more alike than you might think."
Radek stares at her, hardly daring to believe what he's hearing because it goes against everything he has ever learned, been taught. Everything he has ever known, and yet...he finds that he believes it, that he trusts in it. In them, despite all reason.
Elizabeth sees his answer in his silence and smiles, knowing she has won. Rodney and Sheppard are smirking and Radek feels an overwhelming desire to smack their heads together, if only to wipe the smug expression from their faces.
"You see?" Elizabeth asks, eyes twinkling, and Radek knows she is thinking the exact same thing he is. "We really are more alike than you might think."