Fic: Here
Okay! Since apparently this is where a lot of y'all have stopped at/been linked to/etc, I give you this:
http://ediblewolfpeach.livejournal.com/tag/not+so+imaginary
All the stories, even the second series. There's even an epilogue I'm working on. Thank you kindly.
Title: Here
Author: very_rotten
Rating: PG
Warnings: Wee bit of swearing.
Spoilers: None.
Notes: This is the conclusion of the Not So Imaginary series. Previous parts should really be read unless you like being confused because, really, it's more fun that way. So find your way to Not Your Average Imaginary Friend, One Hell of A Coincedence, and Not Quite on the Same Page. I hope you enjoy.
Here
He hadn't planned it to be like this, but when fate, or in this case Elizabeth and Teyla, hands you such a perfect opportunity, you don't overlook it. It was Jinto's birthday celebration and the boy, now a man to his people even if the Atlantis expedition still saw him as an overeager teenager, had begged for them to come. There was dancing and alcohol, and John had always strangely been just a bit of a cheap drunk.
They were sitting back from where everyone was dancing, a thick blanket under them and a couple off to the side for when they finally decided to pass out. Elizabeth had made it clear that no one was flying back to Atlantis that night, no matter how drunk they thought they weren't. Rodney was nibbling at the last pieces of food on the plate he'd brought over and John was sprawled on his back, humming along happily to the music.
After a while, Rodney set his plate aside and leaned over, quelling his nervousness and smirking at his happy-go-lucky friend. "Hi, John."
The other man stopped humming and looked up at him, a grin splitting his face. "Hi, Rodney."
One thing he'd found out from the few times he'd been in the presence of his intoxicated friend was that he would do anything Rodney asked of him--if he called him by his first name. "Having fun?"
"Yeah," he drawled out, stretching his arms above his head and then leaving them there. "This is great. Really, really great."
"Good," Rodney replied. "So, John."
"Hmm?"
He smiled slightly. "Who's your best buddy in the whole universe?"
That earned him a delighted bark of laughter. "My Rodney." John stated and Rodney heard the unspoken 'who else?' at the end. The possessive confirmed how drunk John was and Rodney had never understood it until just now. It threw him, as had all of the little things about John that were suddenly layered with meaning.
"Yeah, that's me," he agreed, voice thick. "Hey, you want to hear a story?"
John gave a little snort. "You're terrible at telling stories, Rodney."
His smile widened. "You like them anyway."
"Yeah." the other man confessed, turning onto his side as his eyes started to slide shut.
Rodney reached over and poked him in the arm. "Hey. John. Stay awake or no story. It's a good one."
Slowly, John's eyes cracked halfway open and he lifted his gaze to meet his friend's.
"That's better," Rodney said, shifting to make himself more comfortable on the blanket and just stretched himself out on his back beside John. "All right. There once was this genius that found this device and he wanted to know what it did. His friend, the Colonel--"
"Best friend." John murmured.
"His best friend, the Colonel," he amended. "Didn't think the device was safe and wouldn't help, so the genius tricked him."
"Which was wrong." John interrupted again.
"Yes, it was wrong." Rodney sighed.
"But the Colonel still loves him anyway."
"*Yes,* thank you. Can the genius finish telling the story?" he asked without any real heat. When John didn't object, he continued. "Now the device was a sort of experimental hybrid technology, a combination of an invisible shield and a time transportation device. It's actually much more complicated than that but I want to finish this before you pass out on me. Now, he tricked the Colonel into activating it, and it sent the genius back in time and to a place all the way back on Earth.
"No one could see the genius and the device was damaged, and he had no idea where he was. However, he found a boy, very young, that could see him. The boy was very lonely and none of the other children at his new school would play with him, so the genius decided to stick around and be his friend. He stayed with the boy for four years and they took care of each other, but eventually the genius managed to fix the device and charge it by going to electronics stores while the boy was in school and letting it leech the energy. It took a long time, but it was enough to send him home."
He watched for John's reaction, but he only stared back at him silently and Rodney wondered if waiting for him to get drunk had been the wisest course of action.
"He left the boy alone." John whispered just as he was about to start again.
The softness of his voice gave Rodney a stab of guilt. Under that was a sliver of hope that the other man was remembering and not just guessing along. "Yes, he did. Before he left he made sure to tell the boy how to find him when he grew up so he could help him save the galaxy, though, so he wouldn't have to be alone forever."
John's eyes were closing now as he slowly lost the battle to stay awake.
"When the genius got back to his city, the boy was there waiting for him, all grown up," Rodney said quickly, wanting to finish before he completely fell asleep. "It was the Colonel, his best friend, as he'd known it would be. He wanted to say something but everything was mixed up, because to the Colonel he'd barely been gone at all and it all felt so unreal after that he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. He wasn't even sure if the Colonel remembered him at all or if he'd just think he was insane and...and you had better remember this in the morning, John," he whispered fiercely. "Because I don't think I can say all this again."
He carefully pulled one of the blankets over John, then one over himself. He lay there for a while, head turned and just watched John sleep until he felt his own eyes grow heavy and joined him.
===
When Rodney woke up the sun was almost directly overhead. He squinted, the sharp rays burning his eyes and muttered something about vision problems as he tried to make his muscles work enough to sit up. He was just getting his elbows firmly under himself when something cold and wet splashed his face hard.
"Oh, sorry, I thought you were still asleep."
He spat out the water that had gotten into his mouth and lay back down, wiping his hands over his wet face. When he opened his eyes again he saw John standing over him, one hand at his side holding an empty cup and the other holding another cup that he was sipping from.
"What was that for?" he demanded, now fully awake and sitting up successfully.
John tilted his head to the side to the area where the Jumpers sat. "We're getting ready to head back. You're the only one not up." he explained, holding the still full cup out to Rodney.
"I was getting there before you tried to drown me." Rodney grumbled, taking the cup and sipping from it. Oh, sweet Athosian hangover almost-cure. His stomach felt better already. He hadn't even had that much last night, he'd wanted to stay sober enough to tell John...
"Come on, let's get going." the other man said, reaching down and pulling Rodney to his feet. He gathered up the blanket and started off without another word, leaving Rodney to follow.
They got everyone into the Jumpers in good time, as half of them were extremely hung over. John insisted that he even hung over he could fly better than Rodney so he flew them and their group back to Atlantis. The flight was quiet, only quiet murmurs and laughter from the back. Once they were docked in the Jumper Bay, Rodney made to get up and follow their passengers out. He was fairly convinced that his plan had failed and it left him feeling awkward around his friend.
"Sit down, Rodney." John ordered softly before Rodney could even make it to the back compartment.
He did, giving the other man a wary look as he eased himself back into his seat. John wasn't even looking at him and once all of the other Jumpers were docked he opened the communications connection to the Control Room.
"Atlantis, this is Sheppard. McKay forgot some of his stuff back on the mainland, we're gonna head back there real quick."
Rodney frowned, not calling him on the lie even as the techs in the 'Gate room confirmed John's plan. His heart felt like it was in his throat as the Jumper rose up through the open roof and headed once more toward the mainland. He watched John out of the corner of his eye but his expression betrayed nothing, and perhaps that was a sign. John's face should never be that blank, that clean of emotion.
"I didn't take anything with me to the mainland." he couldn't help pointing out, his voice wavering uncertainly.
"Yeah," the other man agreed. "I know."
He didn't volunteer anything else, so Rodney sat back in his seat and waited. They flew past the Athosians' camp and kept going for another five minutes before John finally brought the Jumper down in a clearing large enough to accommodate it. It hummed as it settled, then went quiet, but neither of them moved.
John shifted in his seat, then all but threw himself to his feet. "Come on." he said, starting toward the back of the Jumper.
Rodney scrambled clumsily out of his own seat in his haste and hurried after. He thought John was going to go out the back of the Jumper, but just before the man reached the door he spun around and used the fact that Rodney was only a couple of steps behind him--and still moving--to wrap his arms around his shoulders and hold him tightly. They stood like that, Rodney stiff and awkward and John making no motion to let him go.
"I am so pissed off at you right now, you have no idea." John complained, dropping his forehead onto his friend's shoulder.
Slowly, Rodney relaxed, bringing one arm up to rest across John's back. "Oh? Can I just say first then, that I am so, so relieved? The way you acted on the mainland...I wasn't sure..."
"Pissed," he repeated as though Rodney hadn't spoken. "You got me *drunk.*"
"Wait, what? You got yourself drunk!"
"And took advantage of me."
Rodney rolled his eyes. "You're much more harmless that way. It was out of self-preservation."
"Thank you."
He paused, blinking at the sudden shift from accusing to thankful. "Yes, well, no thanks necessary. And you can, ah, let go now."
He felt a quick huff of air through his shirt, as though John were laughing quietly. "*Thirty years,* Rodney." John stressed, sounding so lost but relieved and he hugged him tighter.
Just like that, something inside Rodney seemed to unravel with the realization. His other arm came up and he hugged John back, closing his eyes with a sigh. "It has, hasn't it?" he said softly. "But it's all right now. I'm here."
end
http://ediblewolfpeach.livejournal.com/tag/not+so+imaginary
All the stories, even the second series. There's even an epilogue I'm working on. Thank you kindly.
Title: Here
Author: very_rotten
Rating: PG
Warnings: Wee bit of swearing.
Spoilers: None.
Notes: This is the conclusion of the Not So Imaginary series. Previous parts should really be read unless you like being confused because, really, it's more fun that way. So find your way to Not Your Average Imaginary Friend, One Hell of A Coincedence, and Not Quite on the Same Page. I hope you enjoy.
Here
He hadn't planned it to be like this, but when fate, or in this case Elizabeth and Teyla, hands you such a perfect opportunity, you don't overlook it. It was Jinto's birthday celebration and the boy, now a man to his people even if the Atlantis expedition still saw him as an overeager teenager, had begged for them to come. There was dancing and alcohol, and John had always strangely been just a bit of a cheap drunk.
They were sitting back from where everyone was dancing, a thick blanket under them and a couple off to the side for when they finally decided to pass out. Elizabeth had made it clear that no one was flying back to Atlantis that night, no matter how drunk they thought they weren't. Rodney was nibbling at the last pieces of food on the plate he'd brought over and John was sprawled on his back, humming along happily to the music.
After a while, Rodney set his plate aside and leaned over, quelling his nervousness and smirking at his happy-go-lucky friend. "Hi, John."
The other man stopped humming and looked up at him, a grin splitting his face. "Hi, Rodney."
One thing he'd found out from the few times he'd been in the presence of his intoxicated friend was that he would do anything Rodney asked of him--if he called him by his first name. "Having fun?"
"Yeah," he drawled out, stretching his arms above his head and then leaving them there. "This is great. Really, really great."
"Good," Rodney replied. "So, John."
"Hmm?"
He smiled slightly. "Who's your best buddy in the whole universe?"
That earned him a delighted bark of laughter. "My Rodney." John stated and Rodney heard the unspoken 'who else?' at the end. The possessive confirmed how drunk John was and Rodney had never understood it until just now. It threw him, as had all of the little things about John that were suddenly layered with meaning.
"Yeah, that's me," he agreed, voice thick. "Hey, you want to hear a story?"
John gave a little snort. "You're terrible at telling stories, Rodney."
His smile widened. "You like them anyway."
"Yeah." the other man confessed, turning onto his side as his eyes started to slide shut.
Rodney reached over and poked him in the arm. "Hey. John. Stay awake or no story. It's a good one."
Slowly, John's eyes cracked halfway open and he lifted his gaze to meet his friend's.
"That's better," Rodney said, shifting to make himself more comfortable on the blanket and just stretched himself out on his back beside John. "All right. There once was this genius that found this device and he wanted to know what it did. His friend, the Colonel--"
"Best friend." John murmured.
"His best friend, the Colonel," he amended. "Didn't think the device was safe and wouldn't help, so the genius tricked him."
"Which was wrong." John interrupted again.
"Yes, it was wrong." Rodney sighed.
"But the Colonel still loves him anyway."
"*Yes,* thank you. Can the genius finish telling the story?" he asked without any real heat. When John didn't object, he continued. "Now the device was a sort of experimental hybrid technology, a combination of an invisible shield and a time transportation device. It's actually much more complicated than that but I want to finish this before you pass out on me. Now, he tricked the Colonel into activating it, and it sent the genius back in time and to a place all the way back on Earth.
"No one could see the genius and the device was damaged, and he had no idea where he was. However, he found a boy, very young, that could see him. The boy was very lonely and none of the other children at his new school would play with him, so the genius decided to stick around and be his friend. He stayed with the boy for four years and they took care of each other, but eventually the genius managed to fix the device and charge it by going to electronics stores while the boy was in school and letting it leech the energy. It took a long time, but it was enough to send him home."
He watched for John's reaction, but he only stared back at him silently and Rodney wondered if waiting for him to get drunk had been the wisest course of action.
"He left the boy alone." John whispered just as he was about to start again.
The softness of his voice gave Rodney a stab of guilt. Under that was a sliver of hope that the other man was remembering and not just guessing along. "Yes, he did. Before he left he made sure to tell the boy how to find him when he grew up so he could help him save the galaxy, though, so he wouldn't have to be alone forever."
John's eyes were closing now as he slowly lost the battle to stay awake.
"When the genius got back to his city, the boy was there waiting for him, all grown up," Rodney said quickly, wanting to finish before he completely fell asleep. "It was the Colonel, his best friend, as he'd known it would be. He wanted to say something but everything was mixed up, because to the Colonel he'd barely been gone at all and it all felt so unreal after that he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. He wasn't even sure if the Colonel remembered him at all or if he'd just think he was insane and...and you had better remember this in the morning, John," he whispered fiercely. "Because I don't think I can say all this again."
He carefully pulled one of the blankets over John, then one over himself. He lay there for a while, head turned and just watched John sleep until he felt his own eyes grow heavy and joined him.
===
When Rodney woke up the sun was almost directly overhead. He squinted, the sharp rays burning his eyes and muttered something about vision problems as he tried to make his muscles work enough to sit up. He was just getting his elbows firmly under himself when something cold and wet splashed his face hard.
"Oh, sorry, I thought you were still asleep."
He spat out the water that had gotten into his mouth and lay back down, wiping his hands over his wet face. When he opened his eyes again he saw John standing over him, one hand at his side holding an empty cup and the other holding another cup that he was sipping from.
"What was that for?" he demanded, now fully awake and sitting up successfully.
John tilted his head to the side to the area where the Jumpers sat. "We're getting ready to head back. You're the only one not up." he explained, holding the still full cup out to Rodney.
"I was getting there before you tried to drown me." Rodney grumbled, taking the cup and sipping from it. Oh, sweet Athosian hangover almost-cure. His stomach felt better already. He hadn't even had that much last night, he'd wanted to stay sober enough to tell John...
"Come on, let's get going." the other man said, reaching down and pulling Rodney to his feet. He gathered up the blanket and started off without another word, leaving Rodney to follow.
They got everyone into the Jumpers in good time, as half of them were extremely hung over. John insisted that he even hung over he could fly better than Rodney so he flew them and their group back to Atlantis. The flight was quiet, only quiet murmurs and laughter from the back. Once they were docked in the Jumper Bay, Rodney made to get up and follow their passengers out. He was fairly convinced that his plan had failed and it left him feeling awkward around his friend.
"Sit down, Rodney." John ordered softly before Rodney could even make it to the back compartment.
He did, giving the other man a wary look as he eased himself back into his seat. John wasn't even looking at him and once all of the other Jumpers were docked he opened the communications connection to the Control Room.
"Atlantis, this is Sheppard. McKay forgot some of his stuff back on the mainland, we're gonna head back there real quick."
Rodney frowned, not calling him on the lie even as the techs in the 'Gate room confirmed John's plan. His heart felt like it was in his throat as the Jumper rose up through the open roof and headed once more toward the mainland. He watched John out of the corner of his eye but his expression betrayed nothing, and perhaps that was a sign. John's face should never be that blank, that clean of emotion.
"I didn't take anything with me to the mainland." he couldn't help pointing out, his voice wavering uncertainly.
"Yeah," the other man agreed. "I know."
He didn't volunteer anything else, so Rodney sat back in his seat and waited. They flew past the Athosians' camp and kept going for another five minutes before John finally brought the Jumper down in a clearing large enough to accommodate it. It hummed as it settled, then went quiet, but neither of them moved.
John shifted in his seat, then all but threw himself to his feet. "Come on." he said, starting toward the back of the Jumper.
Rodney scrambled clumsily out of his own seat in his haste and hurried after. He thought John was going to go out the back of the Jumper, but just before the man reached the door he spun around and used the fact that Rodney was only a couple of steps behind him--and still moving--to wrap his arms around his shoulders and hold him tightly. They stood like that, Rodney stiff and awkward and John making no motion to let him go.
"I am so pissed off at you right now, you have no idea." John complained, dropping his forehead onto his friend's shoulder.
Slowly, Rodney relaxed, bringing one arm up to rest across John's back. "Oh? Can I just say first then, that I am so, so relieved? The way you acted on the mainland...I wasn't sure..."
"Pissed," he repeated as though Rodney hadn't spoken. "You got me *drunk.*"
"Wait, what? You got yourself drunk!"
"And took advantage of me."
Rodney rolled his eyes. "You're much more harmless that way. It was out of self-preservation."
"Thank you."
He paused, blinking at the sudden shift from accusing to thankful. "Yes, well, no thanks necessary. And you can, ah, let go now."
He felt a quick huff of air through his shirt, as though John were laughing quietly. "*Thirty years,* Rodney." John stressed, sounding so lost but relieved and he hugged him tighter.
Just like that, something inside Rodney seemed to unravel with the realization. His other arm came up and he hugged John back, closing his eyes with a sigh. "It has, hasn't it?" he said softly. "But it's all right now. I'm here."
end