Title: Another Brick in the Wall
Author: HYPERfocused
Pairing: John/Rodney, but Carson POV
Rating: PG
A/N: Really just a snippet written for the Buildings and Food (and Amnesty) challenge. In which Rodney builds with his food. Completely silly.
"Where the bloody hell did all the sugar cubes go?" Dr Beckett groused early one morning, after pouring his tea. He’d always considered them much more civilized than the packets, or God forbid, sugar substitute. One couldn’t do ‘one lump or two’ without something that came in actual lumps.
It hadn’t been difficult to smuggle some in with his clothes, or to convince the kitchen staff to request more with the latest Daedelus run. Still, there wasn’t an unending supply, which is why Rodney had better not be doing what it looked like.
"I know you’ve got a sweet tooth, Rodney, but even you can’t eat several hundred lumps of sugar."
"As you can see, Doctor, (Rodney said this like there was a "Witch" attached) I haven’t eaten any of them. Well, only a few." This was true, technically. Carson had only seen him swallow a couple. The rest were stacked up in columns on the table in front of Rodney.
"That’s beside the point, McKay. They’re already contaminated. You’ve had your grubby paws all over them."
‘They’re still in their wrappers."
"Which you seem to be doodling on and gluing together." So far, he had a stack about ten cubes long and eight high. Carson didn’t know what it was for. Rodney had used a black pen to draw a rather disturbing distorted face on it. It looked weirdly familiar, but Carson couldn’t quite place it. Then when Rodney finished inking in the words "The Wall", he knew.
"Big Pink Floyd fan, are we then? I'd have figured you for Rush."
" And I'd have figured you to eat Haggis and wear a kilt. Funny how we both don't fit every stereotype."
"So why the Wall imitation?"
" This was John’s favorite when he was growing up."
"So you’re building him a replica out of my sugar cubes? You might have asked."
"I find it’s often better to act first, apologize later."
"I have yet to hear an apology, Rodney."
"I’m sorry you’re making such a big stink about something so small. I didn’t know you had such a particular sweet tooth."
"I thought you of all people would understand that."
"Oh, fine. You sacrifice something, I’ll sacrifice something. And I’ll make sure you get replacement cubes as well. Here." Rodney reached into his vest and dug out a warm Cadbury bar, from what seemed to be his never ending stash, but even Carson knew had its limits.
"It must have been quite some lover’s tiff if you’re giving up chocolate for it. What did you do?"
"Why would you think I did anything? Besides, we aren’t…"
"Rodney, this isn’t something you can lie to me about. I’m your doctor. I know."
He could practically hear the harrumphing, and he definitely heard the put-upon sigh. "It‘s just possible I might have accidentally deleted his copy of the movie when I borrowed his laptop last night."
"Why didn‘t you have your own?"
"We were in his room, and he’s got this new ‘Rodney shouldn’t be working when we’re supposed to be together’ thing going."
"So why were you?"
"He’d fallen asleep." Rodney said this with more than a hint of pride, like it had all been his doing. Perhaps it had, but Carson didn’t really want to know the gory details.
"Ah. I suppose going to sleep yourself wouldn‘t have been an option?"
"He’s good, but he’s not that good. Do you have any idea how hard it is to turn off my brain?"
"Is it anything like trying to turn off your mouth?"
"Very funny. Anyway, that‘s why I need the sugar cubes."
"I suppose that makes a weird kind of sense." WIth that, Carson stopped his protest. If Rodney was willing to give up chocolate for love, he guessed he could switch to another sweetener for awhile.
Later, when he stirred the Athosian honey into his not-quite Earl Grey, he caught Colonel Sheppard shaking his head as Rodney handed him the replica, and laughing.