Table ficlet 'Underground' (PG) by Anneko
Author: Anneko
Title: Underground
Rating: PG for uncertain fate of major characters(I'm a little evil)
Summary: He might die, and it's almost okay.
Author's Note: This is the first time I've done a table, and I've very little idea what I'm doing, so for starters, I'm just going to post my first drabble, then I can go back and do whatever it is that needs doing with links (which I barely understand *sigh*). If anyone's good at instruction-giving, feel free to e-mail me. All I know is writing.
Disclaimer: They're not mine (would that they were!).
Feedback: I live for it
"Are we going to make it out?" Rodney asks, ashen faced, staring straight up at the tons of earth that could crumble and crush at any moment.
"Of course we will." John answers, doing the same, and it's not terribly reassuring, a guess at best and a lie at worst.
His hand crosses the invisible line that seperates them, wraps itself around Rodney's the way his body might if they had the space.
"If we don't." Rodney has to stop, biting down on his lip. He doesn't want to think about dying. He doesn't want to die. Nobody knows, though, no one's coming. If they aren't crushed to death, they'll run out of air eventually, or they'll starve, dehydrate.
"Don't talk like that." John bites the words out, trying as ever to keep up morale.
"I've always loved you." Rodney says it dispassionately, because he thinks if he put any feeling into it he wouldn't make it through. "Well, not always. But for a long time. Pretty long."
"Rodney..."
"Three years, six months, two weeks, one day, five hours, three minutes."
There's silence, but it's not the awful and oppressive kind that makes you wish you hadn't spoken. Instead, Rodney knew John was running time backwards in his head until he knew the exact moment, trying to remember exactly what he must have said or done to make Rodney love him. After a moment or two, John squeezes his hand.
"Three years, six months, one week, five days, two hours, seven minutes."
Rodney swallows. Don't break don't break don't break. "Wow. Okay then."
"We should have said something one of the other times it looked like we were going to die."
"Yeah. That would have been nice."
"Um... we might, this time." John admitted. "Unless you've got--"
"This isn't the kind of problem I usually fix." Rodney sighed. "But I think I'm okay."
"You sure? 'Cause you usually fall apart before now."
"Yeah." He nods, a minute movement in the dark. "Just... hold my hand. I think I'm okay."
"I wish I could promise--"
"No. Don't. John..."
"Rodney." And there was no exasperation touching on it now, just warmth and sorrow and love and regret. "For what it's worth, I love you. And, I'll keep loving you, for... well, for the rest of my life. For what it's worth."
"It's worth kind of a lot to me." Rodney squeezed John's hand. "Me, too. For what it's worth."
"It's worth the world to me."
"Just the world?"
"The universe. Pushy bastard." John laughed. "I think I'm gonna fall asleep."
"Don't! I-- Just don't. Please. Hold onto me, and..."
"Shh..." John squeezed back, tugged Rodney's hand a little nearer to his side. "I'm holding on. You okay?"
"I'm okay." He said. And even though it shouldn't have been, it was true.
---/-/---
FIN
=^_^=
Anneko
Title: Underground
Rating: PG for uncertain fate of major characters(I'm a little evil)
Summary: He might die, and it's almost okay.
Author's Note: This is the first time I've done a table, and I've very little idea what I'm doing, so for starters, I'm just going to post my first drabble, then I can go back and do whatever it is that needs doing with links (which I barely understand *sigh*). If anyone's good at instruction-giving, feel free to e-mail me. All I know is writing.
Disclaimer: They're not mine (would that they were!).
Feedback: I live for it
"Are we going to make it out?" Rodney asks, ashen faced, staring straight up at the tons of earth that could crumble and crush at any moment.
"Of course we will." John answers, doing the same, and it's not terribly reassuring, a guess at best and a lie at worst.
His hand crosses the invisible line that seperates them, wraps itself around Rodney's the way his body might if they had the space.
"If we don't." Rodney has to stop, biting down on his lip. He doesn't want to think about dying. He doesn't want to die. Nobody knows, though, no one's coming. If they aren't crushed to death, they'll run out of air eventually, or they'll starve, dehydrate.
"Don't talk like that." John bites the words out, trying as ever to keep up morale.
"I've always loved you." Rodney says it dispassionately, because he thinks if he put any feeling into it he wouldn't make it through. "Well, not always. But for a long time. Pretty long."
"Rodney..."
"Three years, six months, two weeks, one day, five hours, three minutes."
There's silence, but it's not the awful and oppressive kind that makes you wish you hadn't spoken. Instead, Rodney knew John was running time backwards in his head until he knew the exact moment, trying to remember exactly what he must have said or done to make Rodney love him. After a moment or two, John squeezes his hand.
"Three years, six months, one week, five days, two hours, seven minutes."
Rodney swallows. Don't break don't break don't break. "Wow. Okay then."
"We should have said something one of the other times it looked like we were going to die."
"Yeah. That would have been nice."
"Um... we might, this time." John admitted. "Unless you've got--"
"This isn't the kind of problem I usually fix." Rodney sighed. "But I think I'm okay."
"You sure? 'Cause you usually fall apart before now."
"Yeah." He nods, a minute movement in the dark. "Just... hold my hand. I think I'm okay."
"I wish I could promise--"
"No. Don't. John..."
"Rodney." And there was no exasperation touching on it now, just warmth and sorrow and love and regret. "For what it's worth, I love you. And, I'll keep loving you, for... well, for the rest of my life. For what it's worth."
"It's worth kind of a lot to me." Rodney squeezed John's hand. "Me, too. For what it's worth."
"It's worth the world to me."
"Just the world?"
"The universe. Pushy bastard." John laughed. "I think I'm gonna fall asleep."
"Don't! I-- Just don't. Please. Hold onto me, and..."
"Shh..." John squeezed back, tugged Rodney's hand a little nearer to his side. "I'm holding on. You okay?"
"I'm okay." He said. And even though it shouldn't have been, it was true.
---/-/---
FIN
=^_^=
Anneko