Mostly Dead by spacedmonkey (R)
Title: Mostly Dead
Author: spacedmonkey
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard
Rating: R (but a soft R)
Spoilers : Nothing but season 4 casting and a few random quotes from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Princess Bride"
Type : Hurt / Comfort
Summary: Everytime you fly you risk your life. Text fic sent to buddhawitch for her birthday.
Feedback adored.
John lay in the Infirmary strapped to a backboard with his head taped between two blocks incase his neck was broken. He couldn't see him, but he could hear McKay flitting between angst and anger somewhere to his right. At the very least it was almost keeping his mind from the very real possibility that he had just managed to end his career and gained a one way ticket back to Earth in one foul swoop.
He knew McKay was pissed. He knew he would be as soon as the HUD in the Jumper had flickered out of life and the whole craft had suddenly taken a nosedive into the mainland. If he walked away from this, he was installing those things with seatbelts and airbags.
John had never been one for having his life flash before his eyes, and, to be fair, there had been plenty of chances for that to happen. Instead, John had found himself thinking that his timing really, really sucked. Afterall, he had a date.
"You are a complete idiot!" McKay had muttered, walking in and out of John's limited line of sight, waving his hands around in a slightly less controlled way than usual.
"Yes, Rodney." he had mumbled back through the oxygen mask that was really irritating him.
"I mean, you could be completely paralysed! Have you thought about the consequences of that?"
"Yes, Rodney." Although he so didn't want to go there right at that moment.
Everytime you fly you risk your life. He'd been told that at the academy, although he'd worked it out at a much earlier age. The thing was, there was a difference between suddenly not being alive and suddenly being very alive but unable to do anything for yourself, lose your job, lose your home and lose...
"This is a really extreme way to avoid a date!" Rodney continued, looking close to having a stroke by the way he was pacing and the increase in pitch.
John was aware that Rodney sounded incredibly self centred during this rant, but it really was taking his mind off of the situation and, in part, he knew that was what it was designed to do. However, Rodney was working himself up to such a state that, should he not be sent packing to a long term care facility back on Earth and somehow managed to stay with the hyperventilating Canadian, there'd be nothing left to stay with. To this end, John tried to distract him by wiggling his fingers as best he could.
"Oh, right. My first chance of getting laid in yea ... er, a while, almost kills himself and I'm meant to be impressed by a little finger wiggle?"
John stopped wiggling his fingers and did his best to look sorry. McKay was the only person he had known in his whole life who got pissed when John got hurt and he still hadn't really gotten used to that. As McKay finally stopped pacing and looked down at him with too wide eyes that so clearly stated all the fear and panic that John had been repressing, he realised that paralysis was probably nothing compared to having some-one look at him like that.
"I'll make it up to you." John promised.
"While I haul your lazy ass around in a wheelchair I suppose."
And, deep down, he knew Rodney would. There was something oddly comforting about that and he was about to say as much when Keller reappeared, causing Rodney to start on another panic fuelled rant. Thankfully, Keller was becoming better at dealing with these and just smiled as she peeled the tape from John's forehead and removed the painful collar from his neck.
John had managed to escape with cuts, bruises and a few broken ribs and was released into Rodney's "care" that evening with a very large pot of pain meds and a week of downtime. Rodney had fussed, plumped up pillows and generally been a hyperactive mother hen, which was making John dizzy.
"Rodney, stop!" John had caught one of the flying arms and gingerly pulled the agitated man down onto the edge of the bed.
"What are you doing? You're all damaged!" McKay had tried to pull away so as not to hurt him.
"I'm not all damaged!" John had pouted.
"Well, where aren't you damaged then?"
John thought for a second, then pointed to his elbow.
"Here!"
Rodney looked at the elbow, leant forward and kissed it with a touch as soft as cobwebs.
"Here's not too bad." John pointed to his eyebrow.
Rodney looked John in his slightly bloodshot eyes and smiled the smile of a man who had sat through the Indiana Jones trilogy a fair few times.
"If the Nazis storm the ship and kidnap me, I fully expect you to strap yourself to their sub to save me!"
"Of course I will." John nodded earnestly as Rodney leant up to kiss the eyebrow. "And I expect extra points for avoiding obvious jokes about going down."
"I'm very proud of you." Rodney continued to smile as he trailed a hand to areas he hoped were still in one piece. "However, you said you would make it up to me." He stroked his palm across delicate and suddenly alert flesh.
"Only if you promise to be gentle. I've been mostly dead all day."
"As you wish."
Author: spacedmonkey
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard
Rating: R (but a soft R)
Spoilers : Nothing but season 4 casting and a few random quotes from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Princess Bride"
Type : Hurt / Comfort
Summary: Everytime you fly you risk your life. Text fic sent to buddhawitch for her birthday.
Feedback adored.
John lay in the Infirmary strapped to a backboard with his head taped between two blocks incase his neck was broken. He couldn't see him, but he could hear McKay flitting between angst and anger somewhere to his right. At the very least it was almost keeping his mind from the very real possibility that he had just managed to end his career and gained a one way ticket back to Earth in one foul swoop.
He knew McKay was pissed. He knew he would be as soon as the HUD in the Jumper had flickered out of life and the whole craft had suddenly taken a nosedive into the mainland. If he walked away from this, he was installing those things with seatbelts and airbags.
John had never been one for having his life flash before his eyes, and, to be fair, there had been plenty of chances for that to happen. Instead, John had found himself thinking that his timing really, really sucked. Afterall, he had a date.
"You are a complete idiot!" McKay had muttered, walking in and out of John's limited line of sight, waving his hands around in a slightly less controlled way than usual.
"Yes, Rodney." he had mumbled back through the oxygen mask that was really irritating him.
"I mean, you could be completely paralysed! Have you thought about the consequences of that?"
"Yes, Rodney." Although he so didn't want to go there right at that moment.
Everytime you fly you risk your life. He'd been told that at the academy, although he'd worked it out at a much earlier age. The thing was, there was a difference between suddenly not being alive and suddenly being very alive but unable to do anything for yourself, lose your job, lose your home and lose...
"This is a really extreme way to avoid a date!" Rodney continued, looking close to having a stroke by the way he was pacing and the increase in pitch.
John was aware that Rodney sounded incredibly self centred during this rant, but it really was taking his mind off of the situation and, in part, he knew that was what it was designed to do. However, Rodney was working himself up to such a state that, should he not be sent packing to a long term care facility back on Earth and somehow managed to stay with the hyperventilating Canadian, there'd be nothing left to stay with. To this end, John tried to distract him by wiggling his fingers as best he could.
"Oh, right. My first chance of getting laid in yea ... er, a while, almost kills himself and I'm meant to be impressed by a little finger wiggle?"
John stopped wiggling his fingers and did his best to look sorry. McKay was the only person he had known in his whole life who got pissed when John got hurt and he still hadn't really gotten used to that. As McKay finally stopped pacing and looked down at him with too wide eyes that so clearly stated all the fear and panic that John had been repressing, he realised that paralysis was probably nothing compared to having some-one look at him like that.
"I'll make it up to you." John promised.
"While I haul your lazy ass around in a wheelchair I suppose."
And, deep down, he knew Rodney would. There was something oddly comforting about that and he was about to say as much when Keller reappeared, causing Rodney to start on another panic fuelled rant. Thankfully, Keller was becoming better at dealing with these and just smiled as she peeled the tape from John's forehead and removed the painful collar from his neck.
John had managed to escape with cuts, bruises and a few broken ribs and was released into Rodney's "care" that evening with a very large pot of pain meds and a week of downtime. Rodney had fussed, plumped up pillows and generally been a hyperactive mother hen, which was making John dizzy.
"Rodney, stop!" John had caught one of the flying arms and gingerly pulled the agitated man down onto the edge of the bed.
"What are you doing? You're all damaged!" McKay had tried to pull away so as not to hurt him.
"I'm not all damaged!" John had pouted.
"Well, where aren't you damaged then?"
John thought for a second, then pointed to his elbow.
"Here!"
Rodney looked at the elbow, leant forward and kissed it with a touch as soft as cobwebs.
"Here's not too bad." John pointed to his eyebrow.
Rodney looked John in his slightly bloodshot eyes and smiled the smile of a man who had sat through the Indiana Jones trilogy a fair few times.
"If the Nazis storm the ship and kidnap me, I fully expect you to strap yourself to their sub to save me!"
"Of course I will." John nodded earnestly as Rodney leant up to kiss the eyebrow. "And I expect extra points for avoiding obvious jokes about going down."
"I'm very proud of you." Rodney continued to smile as he trailed a hand to areas he hoped were still in one piece. "However, you said you would make it up to me." He stroked his palm across delicate and suddenly alert flesh.
"Only if you promise to be gentle. I've been mostly dead all day."
"As you wish."